Development and Up‐scaling of Iron‐based Catalysts for Fischer‐Tropsch Synthesis of Higher Alcohols

Sustainable higher alcohol production via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis: Syngas derived from biomass, CO₂, H₂O and renewable energy is going to be a centerpiece in sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. Especially, in decentralized plants high-margin products like higher alcohols need to be produced selectively for competitive operation. Herein a cheap and easy-to-scale Fe-based catalyst was developed for this purpose, outperforming the state-of-the-art Fe powder catalysts.

Abstract

For sustainable production of chemicals like hydrocarbons and oxygenates from renewable carbon sources and electricity Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is focused in current research. Aiming for this purpose, the development of supported powdered and shaped catalysts for low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of value-added higher alcohols was addressed in this study. Promising support materials like α-Al₂O₃, SiO₂, ZrO₂ and SiC were assessed and the influence of electrochemical promoters on product formation was investigated. The results show an outstanding promoting effect of lithium on conversion and alcohol selectivity. A beneficial synergistic effect occurred for the combination of 1 % Li and Cu each and could be exploited both for supported powdered and shaped catalysts. Furthermore, effects of surface, shape, porosity and Fe content on pellet catalysts were investigated. Exploiting the beneficial effects found, the first monometallic shaped Fe-based catalyst – outperforming the state-of-the-art monometallic Fe powder catalysts in conversion and selectivity – is presented.

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