C5+ selectivity enhancement in CO-based catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch synthesis: A review on effect of catalyst formulation

Abstract

The results and findings of recent researches carried out to investigate the effect of catalyst formulation, specifically catalyst preparation, cobalt crystallite size, support materials, pore size and structure, and promoters on the selectivity to C₅₊ hydrocarbons for cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis are summarized and discussed in the present review. The product range of the process is extremely wide; however, only the hydrocarbons with carbon number greater than five are suitable to be converted into transportation fuels by means of further refining processes. The cobalt-based catalysts have attracted more interest over the last decades due to providing high C₅₊ selectivity and high activity at a reasonable cost. The design of highly active and selective cobalt catalysts could be a feasible solution to enhance the C₅₊ selectivity, which requires a deep investigation and understanding of the impact of catalyst synthesis, crystallite size, support and promoter properties on Fischer-Tropsch synthesis selectivity.