TITLE: Technology development for iron Fischer-Tropsch catalysts.  Quarterly technical progress report, period ending September 30, 1993.

AUTHOR: B. H. Davis.

INST.  AUTHOR: Kentucky Univ., Lexington. Center for Applied Energy Research.

SPONSOR: Department of Energy, Washington, DC.

LANGUAGE: English

PUB.  TYPE: Technical Report

PUB.  COUNTRY: United States

SOURCE: Department of Energy [DE],  1993,  36p.

NTIS ORDER NO.: DE94008723INW

ABSTRACT:

Slurry phase Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was conducted with an ultrafine iron oxide catalyst promoted with either K or Zr or both. Pretreatment in CO yielded higher conversions and a more stable catalyst than activation in hydrogen or synthesis gas. Hydrogen pretreatment of K promoted catalysts and synthesis gas activation in general were less effective.  Mossbauer spectroscopy and XRD showed X-Fe(sub 5)C(sub 2) and (epsilon)-Fe(sub 2.2)C were formed during pretreatment in CO and did not depend on promoters present. Catalysts pretreated in H(sub 2) were reduced to metallic Fe and Fe(sub 3)O(sub 4); promotion with K and Zr decreased the extent of reduction. Hydrogen pretreated catalysts with K lost surface area and carbided rapidly under synthesis conditions. Activation in synthesis gas reduced all catalysts to Fe(sub 3)O(sub 4). Subsequent synthesis did not effect the phase present for the unpromoted and Zr promoted catalysts while those with K formed X-Fe(sub 5)C(sub 2) and (epsilon)-Fe(sub 2.2)C. It is concluded that pretreatment type is more important to the catalyst activity during the early period of synthesis than the impact of promotion with K and Zr.

REPORT  NUMBER: DOE/PC/90056-T13

CONTRACT  NUMBER: AC22-91PC90056