Specific inhibition as the kinetic principle of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

FT CO-hydrogenation on cobalt catalysts has been performed in a well stirred continuously operated slurry reactor with and without addition ofn-octene-1 at different CO partial pressures. Kinetic data have been determined with the help of a mechanistic model. Increasing CO partial pressure inhibits individual reaction steps selectively, in particular associative methane desorption, the steps of chain termination (as paraffins and olefins likewise), whereas in secondary olefin conversion hydrogenation is inhibited drastically, however double bond shift is even promoted. Secondary hydrogenation is concluded to proceed on different sites than chain growth.