CATALYTIC SYNTHESIS OF HYDROCARBONS FROM CARBON-MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN ON LAMELLAR COMPOUND OF GRAPHITE INTERCALATED BY FERRIC-CHLORIDE

From the thermal gravimetric studies of a lamellar compound of graphite (LCG) intercalated by ferric chloride, it was shown that FeCl3 in the intercalated layers was reduced to FeCl2 and partly to metallic Fe in flowing H2 at 400 °C: The main constituent in the LCG treated in H2 for 1 hr was FeCl2, and with an increasing period of H2 treatment some part of the FeCl2 was further reduced to metallic Fe between the graphite layers. The catalytic activity and selectivity of the reduced LCG for hydrocarbon synthesis from CO and H2 were investigated at 300 to 500 °C and 1 to 20 atm. The catalytic activity of the LCG increased with increasing degree of reduction of the FeCl2, suggesting that the activity is attributed to metallic Fe. The main reaction products were C1C4 hydrocarbons and the formation of higher hydrocarbons or organic oxygenated compounds was negligible. The LCG catalyst gave hydrocarbons in outstandingly high selectivity (more than 90% at 400 °C) compared with an Fe catalyst merely supported on graphite which gave considerable amount of CO2 with hydrocarbons. © 1979.