Novel utilization of mesoporous molecular sieves as supports of cobalt catalysts in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

Mesoporous molecular sieves (MCM-41 and SBA-15) with different pore diameters have been studied as supports of high loading of Co catalysts, and the performances in FT synthesis have been examined with a fixed bed stainless steel reactor at 2.0 MPa for the purpose of efficient production of C₁₀–C₂₀ fraction as the main component of diesel fuel. The method of exchanging template ions in uncalcined MCM-41 with Co²⁺ ions is effective for holding 10–20% Co within the mesopores while keeping the structure regularity of MCM-41 to some extent, compared with the conventional impregnation method using calcined MCM-41. At 523 K, CO conversion and selectivity to C₁₀–C₂₀ hydrocarbons are both higher at larger loading of 20% Co for the exchanged catalysts with pore diameters of 2.7–2.9 nm. When four kinds of 20% Co/SBA-15 with the diameters of 3.5–13 nm, prepared by the impregnation method using an ethanol solution of Co acetate, are used in FT synthesis at 523 K, the catalyst with the diameter of 8.3 nm shows the largest CO conversion, which is higher than those over MCM-41 supported Co catalysts. At a lower temperature of 503 K, however, the acetate-derived Co is almost inactive. In contrast, the use of Co nitrate alone or an equimolar mixture of the acetate and nitrate as Co precursor drastically enhances the reaction rate and consequently provides high space–time yield (260–270 g C/kg_cat h) of C₁₀–C₂₀ hydrocarbons. The X-ray diffraction and temperature-programmed reduction measurements show that the dependency of the catalytic performance of 20% Co/SBA-15 on its precursor originates probably from the differences in not only the reducibility of the calcined catalyst but also the dispersion of metallic Co. Catalyst characterization after FT synthesis strongly suggests the high stability of the most effective Co/SBA-15 in the dispersion and reducibility of the oxide species and in the mesoporous structure.