TITLE: Sulfur Poisoning of Catalysts: A Study of Activity Decay in Methano Synthesis and Fischer--Tropsch Catalysis. Final Report.

AUTHOR: B. J. Gikis;   W. E. Isakson;   J. G. McCarty;   K. M. Sancier; S. Schechter.

INST.  AUTHOR: Stanford Research Inst., Menlo Park, Calif.

SPONSOR: Department of Energy.

LANGUAGE: English

PUB.  TYPE: Technical Report

PUB.  COUNTRY: United States

SOURCE: Department of Energy [DE],  1977,  199p.

ABSTRACT:

The objective of this research program was to study the deactivation of commercial catalysts used for the production of liquid fuels from carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This final report describes the two main areas of research: sulfidation of methanol-synthesis catalysts and carburization of Fischer-Tropsch catalysts. In methanol synthesis significant effort was devoted to the problem of sulfur poisoning of several commercial high-pressure and low-pressure catalysts at space velocities and pressures encountered in industrial practice. This work was supplemented by studies of sulfur segregation and distribution on catalyst surfaces measured by Auger electron spectroscopy and by surface area ''titration'' measurements. In the investigation of reactivation of sulfur-poisoned catalysts, we examined the thermodynamics of bulk and surface sulfur in equilibrium with H sub 2 for the copper and iron systems. In the area of Fischer-Tropsch catalysis, we examined the processes of bulk carburization and of surface carbon deposition on promoted iron-based catalysts.  Thermochemical calculations were made to establish the phase-boundary compositions of the stable products (CO, CO sub 2 , H sub 2 O, H sub 2 , CH sub 4 ) in equilibrium with Hagg carbide, cementite, and magnetite.  Recent interest in the application of ruthenium-based catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis led to studies of carbon buildup and sulfur poisoning of alumina-supported ruthenium catalysts. (ERA citation 03:027963)

CONTRACT  NUMBER: EY-76-C-02-0060