Effect of promoter type and synthesis method on catalytic performance of Fe-Mn based FT-olefin catalysts

Direct production of light olefins, building blocks of chemical industry, can be attained by developing efficient catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). The nature of FTS complicates the catalyst development process as the product distribution is affected by the components and the preparation methods of the catalyst. In this work, high-throughput (HT) methodology is employed to overcome this problem by testing many different catalyst formulations. Fast performance screening of 40 different α-Al₂O₃ supported Fe-Mn based catalysts promoted with Cu, K and Ni, using different impregnation agents, was performed in a HT test system at atmospheric pressure. Promising catalyst candidates identified by HT analysis were further subjected to high pressure FTS in a conventional system. Results indicate that coupled with Mn, Ni promoted CH₄ production, Cu increased CO conversion, K enhanced olefin selectivity and olefin-to-paraffin ratio. In double promotion of Cu and K, Cu balanced the activity and stability loss due to K, while K enhanced olefin selectivity. n-pentane aided impregnation slightly enhanced catalytic performance. Differences observed in catalytic performance were regarded as related to the structural changes caused by promoter and impregnation type based on characterization data obtained by H₂-TPR, XRD, SEM, EDS mapping and N₂ adsorption.