Magnetic and Mössbauer study of metal-zeolite interaction in catalysts

Abstract

Molecular sieve aluminosilicates, such as ZSM-5 and mordenite, when impregnated with highly dispersed Fe, yield catalysts for the selective conversion of coal-derived syngas (CO+H2) to liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Fe performs the primary Fischer-Tropsch (FT) syngas to yield light olefins which are converted by the acidic (H+) and shape-selective function of the zeolite to high octane gasoline components. The physical aspects of the Fe-mordenite interaction studied by magnetic measurements, Mössbauer, and IR spectroscopy are reported and correlations with the catalytic properties are drawn. Mordenite samples with [SiO2/Al2O3] ratio in the range 12 – 60 were impregnated with 15 wt. % Fe using Fe3(CO)12; decarbonylation yielded superparamagmetic dispersions of γ-Fe2O3, in the range 1.4–5.0 nm; the smallest particles were obtained for a ratio=17. Hydrogen chemisorption also revealed a similar trend in Fe dispersions. No samples, other than the one with a ratio=60 and containing the largest particles could be carbided under usual conditions. The acidity of the mordenite and the aromatics fraction in liquid hydrocarbons from syngas conversion also showed maxima at a ratio=17. The presence of a strong metal-support interaction between Fe and mordenite was thus influenced by the varying ratios in the mordenite in a manner that paralleled the acidity and catalytic activity.