Cobalt catalysts, product distribution

Huang, X. W., Elbashir N. O., and Roberts, C. B. 2004. Supercritical solvent effects on hydrocarbon product distributions from Fischer-Tropsch synthesis over an alumina-supported cobalt catalyst. Industrial Engineering Chemistry Research 43 6369-81. 

The carbon number distribution of Fischer-Tropsch products on both cobalt and iron catalysts can be clearly represented by superposition of two Anderson-Schulz-Flory (ASF) distributions characterized by two chain growth probabilities and the mass or molar fraction of products assigned to one of these distributions.7 10 In particular, this bimodal-type distribution is pronounced for iron catalysts promoted with alkali (e.g., K2C03). Comparing product distributions obtained on alkali-promoted and -unpromoted iron catalysts has shown that the distribution characterized by the lower growth probability a, is not affected by the promoter, while the growth probability a2 and the mass fraction f2 are considerably increased by addition of alkali.9 This is... 

However, the detailed description of the FT product distribution together with the reactant conversion is a very important task for the industrial practice, being an essential prerequisite for the industrialization of the process. In this work, a detailed kinetic model developed for the FTS over a cobalt-based catalyst is presented that represents an evolution of the model published previously by some of us.10 Such a model has been obtained on the basis of experimental data collected in a fixed bed microreactor under conditions relevant to industrial operations (temperature, 210-235°C pressure, 8-25 bar H2/CO feed molar ratio, 1.8-2.7 gas hourly space velocity, (GHSV) 2,000-7,000 cm3 (STP)/h/gcatalyst), and it is able to predict at the same time both the CO and H2 conversions and the hydrocarbon distribution up to a carbon number of 49. The model does not presently include the formation of alcohols and C02, whose selectivity is very low in the FTS on cobalt-based catalysts. 

Iron-based catalysts have been used in all the plants constructed after the war, because (a) iron is considerably cheaper than cobalt, (b) iron systems are generally more stable, and (c) greater flexibility with regard to product distribution can be attained. With the exception of the SASOL complex, which will be dealt with in Section I,B, the only Fischer-Tropsch plant of any appreciable size constructed in the West since the... 

The product distribution frcm the Fischer-Tropsch reaction on 5 is shown in Table I. It is similar but not identical to that obtained over other cobalt catalysts (18-21,48, 49). The relatively low amount of methane production (73 mol T when compared with other metals and the abnormally low amount of ethane are typical (6). The distribution of hydrocarbons over other cobalt catalysts has been found to fit the Schulz-Flory equation [indicative of a polymerization-type process (6)]. The Schulz-Flory equation in logarithmic form is... 

These adducts are more active than the iron ones in the conversion of syngas. At 250°C, a higher yield of methane is observed (Table U) and carbon dioxide is produced in smaller amounts. Inspection of Table 5 summarizing the influence of the H2/CO ratio on products selectivity also indicates a higher production of saturated hydrocarbons. This behavior is typical for cobalt catalysts in F-T synthesis (j2,25). The chain-length distribution is similar to that observed for catalysts derived... 

X. Huang, N. O. Elbashir and C. B. Roberts, Supercritical Solvent Effects on Hydrocarbon Product Distributions from Fischer-Tropsch synthesis over an Alumina-Supported Cobalt Catalyst, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2004, 43, 6369-6381. 

As the supported glycol catalysts worked better in promoting reactions in a single solvent system, we explored the direct carbonylation of benzyl halides using an alcohol solvent, base, and cobalt carbonyl. Our initial experiments concentrated on the reaction of benzyl bromide at room temperature and one atmosphere carbon monoxide. We chose sodium hydroxide as the base, methanol as the solvent, and looked at the product distribution. We were interested in the selectivity to ester and the reactivity of this system. The results are given in Table III. 

Some of the evidence for such structures comes from the change in product distribution of the butenes as a function of cyanide concentration when butadiene is hydrogenated with pentaeyanocobaltate(II) catalyst or when the a butenyl complex is reduced with the hydride complex [HCo(CN)5] . Thus 1-butene is the major product in the presence of excess CN, and major product in the absence of excess cyanide. The 1-butene presumably arises from the cleavage of a tr complex, and the 2-butene via an intermediate w-allyl complex. The Tr-allyl complexes of cobalt tricarbonyl are well-characterized and can be prepared either from butadiene and HCo(CO)4 or from methallyl halide and NaCo(CO)4 [49). 

With an annual production of up to 9.3 million tons in 1998, hydroformylation is the most important homogeneously catalyzed reaction [20,21], The reaction is performed almost exclusively by the use of cobalt or rhodium catalysts. The advantages of rhodium catalysts are milder reaction conditions and better n/iso ratios in product distribution. The toxicity of rhodium compounds as well as the high rhodium price [22] (between 20 and 75 g during the last five years) demand an efficient catalyst recycling. 

The concept of a (bound) formaldehyde intermediate in CO hydrogenation is supported by the work of Feder and Rathke (36) and Fahey (43). Experiments under H2/CO pressure at 182-220°C showed that paraformaldehyde and trioxane (which depolymerize to formaldehyde at reaction temperatures) are converted by the cobalt catalyst to the same products as those formed from H2/CO alone. The rate of product formation is faster than in comparable H2/CO-only experiments, and product distributions are different, apparently because secondary reactions are now less competitive. However, Rathke and Feder note that the formate/alcohol ratio is similar to that found in H2/CO-only reactions (36). Roth and Orchin have reported that monomeric formaldehyde reacts with HCo(CO)4 under 1 atm of CO at 0°C to form glycolaldehyde, an ethylene glycol precursor (75). The postulated steps in this process are shown in (19)—(21), in which complexes not observed but... 

Metal molybdates421 and cobalt-thoria-kieselguhr422 also catalyze the formation of hydrocarbons. It is believed, however, that methanol is simply a source of synthesis gas via dissociation and the actual reaction leading to hydrocarbon formation is a Fischer-Tropsch reaction. Alumina is a selective dehydration catalyst, yielding dimethyl ether at 300-350°C, but small quantities of methane and C2 hydrocarbons423 424 are formed above 350°C. Heteropoly acids and salts exhibit high activity in the conversion of methanol and dimethyl ether.425-428 Acidity was found to determine activity,427 130 while hydrocarbon product distribution was affected by several experimental variables.428-432... 

The liquid-phase oxidation of toluene with molecular oxygen is another example of a well established process (Table 4, entry 40). A cobalt catalyst is used in the process and the reaction proceeds via a free-radical chain mechanism. Heat of reaction is removed by external circulation of the reactor content and both bubble columns or stirred tanks are employed. It is important to note that air distribution is critical to prevent the danger of a runaway. Another example of direct oxidation is the commercial production of nitrobenzoic acid by oxidation of 4-nitrotoluene with oxygen (Table 4, entry 41). 

Authentic and synthetic solvent-refined coal filtrates were processed upflow in hydrogen over three different commercially available catalysts. Residual (>850°F bp) solvent-refined coal versions up to 46 wt % were observed under typical hydrotreating conditions on authentic filtrate over a cobalt-molybdenum (Co-Mo) catalyst. A synthetic filtrate comprised of creosote oil containing 52 wt % Tacoma solvent-refined coals was used for evaluating nickel-molybdenum and nickel-tungsten catalysts. Nickel-molybdenum on alumina catalyst converted more 850°F- - solvent-refined coals, consumed less hydrogen, and produced a better product distribution than nickel-tungsten on silica alumina. Net solvent make was observed from both catalysts on synthetic filtrate whereas a solvent loss was observed when authentic filtrate was hydroprocessed. Products were characterized by a number of analytical methods. 

Low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch (LTFT) synthesis runs at temperatures between 200°C and 250°C [23-25]. The chain-growth probability at these conditions is much higher than for the HTFT, and as a consequence, the product distribution extends well into the liquid waxes. LTFT reactors are thus three-phase systems solid catalysts, gaseous reactants, and gaseous and liquid products. Both cobalt and iron... 

Tailoring of the product distribution is possible by a limitation of chain growth by pore size. This has been demonstrated by Ballivel Tkatchenko and Tkatchenko using zeolite catalysts. Ruthenium, iron or cobalt metal particles in Y-zcolilc supcrcagcs were prepared by thermal decomposition of the carbonyls. These metal-zeolite catalysts give selective formation of )- hydrocarbons [471. 

Under these conditions, the linear to branched aldehyde ratio for the hydroformylation of 1-octene was 1.9 1. Starting with 4-octene one still gets a 1.2 1 linear to branched ratio. Thus, one can start with a considerably less-expensive mixture of terminal and internal alkenes and get a product distribution favoring the linear aldehyde. The product distribution in Scheme 3 can be nicely explained by invoking facile alkene isomerization, with the fastest hydroformylation occurring for double bonds in the 1-position. Labeling studies have shown that alkene isomerization generally occurs without dissociation of the alkene from the cobalt catalyst. ... 

Recently, FT synthesis reactions were shown to be independent of metal dispersion on Si02-supported catalysts with 6-22% cobalt dispersion (103). Turnover rates remained nearly constant (1.8-2.7 x 10 s ) over the entire dispersion range. Dispersion effects on reaction kinetics and product distributions were not reported. These tests were performed at very low reactant pressures (3 kPa CO, 9 kPa H2), conditions that prevent the formation of higher hydrocarbons and lead to methane with high selectivity and to CO hydrogenation turnover rates 10 times smaller than those obtained at normal FT synthesis conditions and reported here. These low reactant pressures also lead to kinetics that become positive order in CO pressure. Thus, the reported structure insensitivity (103) may agree only coincidentally with the similar conclusions that we reach here on the basis of our results for the synthesis of higher hydrocarbons on Co. 

The behaviour of CO2 in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was investigated using a promoted iron and a promoted cobalt catalyst. The decrease in yield of hydrocarbons is more pronounced on cobalt than on iron. The product distribution on iron remains nearly constant with increasing CO2 concentration, however on cobalt the selectivity to methane increases dramatically. 

Friedel, R.A. and Anderson, R.B. Composition of synthetic liquid fuels. I. Product distribution and analysis of C5-C8 paraffin isomers from cobalt catalyst. Journal of American Chemical Society, 1950, 72, 1212. 

---