Development of iron supported carbon foam catalyst for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

A series of iron supported carbon foam catalysts (10Fe/CF) were successfully synthesized via a facile method by impregnation to reveal the influence of a superior diffusion performance on the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) reaction. Meanwhile, different amounts of potassium (0–1.5 wt%) were investigated on 10Fe/CF catalyst by the fixed-bed reactor and typical FTS reaction conditions (300 °C, 1.0 MPa). Various characterizations, including XRD, XPS, Raman, SEM etc. were combined to study the structure, texture, diffusion and Fe phase state. The results revealed that 10Fe/CF catalysts showed superior surface area and FTS performance after the addition of K promoter. Significantly, the addition of K facilitated the formation of C-poor iron carbides, contributing to enrich the reactivity for the syngas to light olefins.