Highly efficient Fischer–Tropsch synthesis over an alumina-supported ruthenium catalyst†
Abstract
A highly active γ-Al2O3-supported Ru catalyst (Ru/γ-Al2O3-PHR) for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) under mild conditions, with a catalytic activity of 13.0 molCO molRu−1 h−1 at 423 K, was prepared by reducing γ-Al2O3-supported ruthenium oxide, RuO2·xH2O/γ-Al2O3, with hydrogen in water. It was found that the infrared absorption spectrum of CO adsorbed on Ru/γ-Al2O3-PHR is quite different from that of usual Ru catalysts, and CO adsorbed on Ru/γ-Al2O3-PHR tends to dissociate, revealing the reason for the high catalytic activity. The reduction conditions of RuO2·xH2O/γ-Al2O3 have significant influences on the catalytic properties due to the formation of different surface structures of the alumina-supported Ru catalyst. The present work provides not only a way to improve the catalytic activity of supported ruthenium catalysts for FTS but also new information for understanding the high catalytic activity over Ru catalysts for FTS at relatively low temperatures.