Fisher-Tropsch method

During World War II German scientists developed a method of hydrogenating soHd fuels to remove the sulfur by using a cobalt catalyst (see Coal CONVERSION processes). Subsequently, various American oil refining companies used the process in the hydrocracking of cmde fuels (see CATALYSIS SuLFUR REMOVAL AND RECOVERY). Cobalt catalysts are also used in the Fisher-Tropsch method of synthesizing Hquid fuels (21—23) (see Fuels, synthetic). 

Industrially, transformation of syngas is normally carried out using Fisher-Tropsch (FT) method which utilizes either Fe or Co based catalysts to obtain useful fuels and chemicals. For wider applications, the usage of a support for these catalysts... 

Andreev et al. [12] synthesized first row transition metal doped Fe-Cr catalysts. They synthesized 5% Zn, Mn, Cu and Co Fe-Cr catalysts by co-precipitation method. Cu- and Co-oxides proved to be catalytic promoters of interesting relevance. In the late 1980s Sud-Chemie developed Fe-Cr-Cu catalysts for the low steam to CO ratio applications [11]. Operating iron-chromia catalysts at lower steam to CO ratios leads to the formation of iron carbides and iron carbides are very active catalysts for Fisher-Tropsch reactions. Figure 2.1 compares the methane formation across the cOTiventional Fe-Cr catalysts and Cu-promoted Fe-Cr catalysts. It is seen that Cu promotion suppresses the methane formatiOTi. They proposed that Cu suppresses the C-O cleavage and prevents the formation of iron carbides. 

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