NOVEL CATALYST FOR LIQUID-PHASE FISCHER TROPSCH SYNTHESIS - POTASSIUM-PROMOTED COPPER IRON ULTRAFINE PARTICLES PREPARED BY LIQUID-PHASE CHEMICAL-DEPOSITION

Although the liquid phase Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis has conventionally been accomplished using pulverized catalyst, it is interesting to use much smaller catalyst particles to enhance the gas-liquid-solid interfacial contact. In our previous work, iron ultrafine particles (Fe UFP) prepared by the gas evaporation method were used as a catalyst for liquid phase FT synthesis. The activity of the UFP catalyst was shown to be greater than that of an ordinary precipitated iron catalyst, although the BET surface areas of the two catalysts were almost equal. The addition of alkali metal and copper to iron catalysts is known to be very effective in FT synthesis. The purpose of the present work is to prepare alkali-promoted Cu-Fe UFP and to determine the catalytic activity and selectivity of this catalyst for liquid phase FT synthesis.