The Effect of Cobalt to Iron Ratio on Novel Perovskite Catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

Abstract

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is a direct method to produce fuels with low aromatic and sulfur content. Among various types of catalysts used for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, the perovskite catalysts are more effective in a wide range of chemical reactions and have significant applications for gas-solid reactions. This study investigates the application of LaFe(1−x)CoxO3 perovskite catalyst with various Co to Fe ratios in Fischer Tropsch synthesis. The perovskite oxides are prepared via the sol-gel method and characterized using temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron micrographs (TEM), and BET surface area techniques. In addition, the catalyst is tested in a fixed bed reactor at 240, 260, 280, and 300 °C and 20 barg pressure. The results show that the crystal structure of LaFe(1−x)CoxO3 perovskite catalyst is changed and demonstrated high activity due to the iron active site; therefore, by increasing the amount of iron catalyst structure shifts to the orthorhombic and the CO conversion increases noticeably. Results show that the LaFe0.7Co0.3O3 catalyst at 280 °C is a possible candidate for Fischer-Tropes synthesis.