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Effective Fe/K Catalyst for Fischer–Tropsch to Light Alkenes

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Abstract

Carbon-containing materials such as coal and biomass may be processed to syngas, which can be further converted to ethylene, propylene and butylenes directly or indirectly. Potassium-promoted iron catalysts, loaded over high temperature annealed supports ZnAl6O10 and ZnAl10O16, are developed and compared with other reference catalysts. All catalysts were investigated by XRD, ICP, nitrogen physisorption, FESEM, CO2-TPD, and direct Fischer–Tropsch to light alkenes (FTO) reaction tests. Without the assistance of any surface modifier or molecular sieve, at a total pressure of 2 MPa (≈ 20 bar), catalyst Fe/K/ZnAl6O10 reached a C2=–C4= hydrocarbon selectivity of 70%, which is one of the highest light alkene selectivity values documented for iron-based FTO catalysts. Relationships between characterization data and catalytic performance were discussed.

Graphical Abstract

Potassium-promoted iron catalysts, loaded over high temperature annealed supports ZnAl6O10 and ZnAl10O16, are compared with reference catalysts. Without the assistance of any surface modifier or molecular sieve, catalyst 15%Fe/2%K2O/83%ZnAl6O10 achieves its maximum CH selectivity of light alkenes (C2=–C4=) of 70%.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the financial grants from NSFC (No. 21571161).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Surface and Interface Science, School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, 450002, China

    Zhenxin Liu, Gaopeng Jia, Chenxi Zhao & Yu Xing

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  1. Zhenxin Liu
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  2. Gaopeng Jia
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Correspondence to Yu Xing.

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Liu, Z., Jia, G., Zhao, C. et al. Effective Fe/K Catalyst for Fischer–Tropsch to Light Alkenes. Catal Lett 154, 303–313 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10562-023-04296-0

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