Early Transition Metal Carbide Catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) is the reaction between carbon monoxide and hydrogen to produce gasoline range hydrocarbons. Continuing rise in oil prices and tougher environmental regulations has inspired a resurgent of interests in alternative fuels synthesis technologies. In this book, the suitability of molybdenum and tungsten carbides as FT catalysts has been investigated as a possible cost-effective alternative to noble metals in FTS. The authors introduced a new method for producing high surface area metal carbide catalysts via precipitation from homogeneous solution followed by carburization in a mixture of propane and hydrogen. Catalyst design and optimisation based on statistical strategy was employed to investigate the effect of key carburization variables, namely; time, temperature and gas composition (Hydrogen to Propane ratio) on the physicochemical properties and reaction metrics. Furthermore, the role of support type was examined using four common semiconductor oxides, viz; alumina, silica, titania and zirconia. The solid-state carburization kinetics for the metal carbides synthesis was determined via thermogravimetric analysis.

Autorentext

Huy Nguyen, PhD (University of New South Wales), Research Fellow at The University of New South Wales, Australia; Adesoji A. Adesina, PhD (University of Waterloo, Canada), Professor of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Australia