Cobalt species in promoted cobalt alumina-supported Fischer–Tropsch catalysts

The structure of cobalt species at different stages of the genesis of monometallic and Pt-promoted cobalt alumina-supported Fischer–Tropsch catalysts was studied using X-ray diffraction, UV–visible spectroscopy, in situ X-ray absorption, in situ magnetic method, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and DSC–TGA thermal analysis. The catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation using solutions of cobalt nitrate and dihydrogen hexachloroplatinate. Both variation of catalyst calcination temperature between 473 and 773 K and promotion with 0.1 wt% of Pt had no significant affect on the size of supported Co₃O₄ crystallites. The size of cobalt oxide particles in the calcined catalysts seems to be influenced primarily by the pore diameter of the support. Cobalt reducibility was relatively low in monometallic cobalt alumina-supported catalysts and decreased as a function of catalyst calcination temperature. The effect was probably due to the formation of mixed surface compounds between Co₃O₄ and Al₂O₃ at higher calcination temperatures, which hinder cobalt reduction. Promotion with platinum spectacularly increased the rate of cobalt reduction; the promotion seemed to reduce the activation energy of the formation of cobalt metallic phases. Analysis of the magnetization data suggests that the presence of Pt led to the reduction of smaller cobalt oxide particles, which could not be reduced at the same conditions in the cobalt monometallic catalysts. Promotion of cobalt alumina-supported catalysts with small amounts of Pt resulted in a significant increase in Fischer–Tropsch cobalt time yield. The efficient control of cobalt reducibility through catalyst calcination and promotion seems to be one of the key issues in the design of efficient cobalt alumina-supported Fischer–Tropsch catalysts.