Synthesis and Characterization of Silica-Supported Iron and Cobalt Nanoparticles

The conversion of natural gas to liquid (GTL) fuels is an attractive option for monetizing stranded natural gas [1]. The GTL process consists of three steps; syngas production, conversion of syngas to hydrocarbons via the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) and hydroprocessing. Iron and cobalt are the most commonly used catalysts for the FTS. However, knowledge on the relation between the rate of the FTS reaction to the composition and morphology of the catalyst is still lacking [2]. The use of spherical model catalyst system enables investigation on the fundamental aspects of the catalyst, such as influence of particle size, phase and composition on the catalytic activity. The objective of the present work is to prepare and characterize spherical model SiO2-supported iron and cobalt nanocatalysts. The chosen spherical model nanocatalysts will be used later to determine the effect of catalyst morphology on the catalyst performance in the FTS reaction. The nanocatalysts were synthesized using various methods such as incipient wetness impregnation, colloidal synthesis, reverse microemulsion and the ammonia deposition methods [3-7]. The aim of this project is to select the best synthesis method for the preparation of well-dispersed iron and cobalt nanoparticles on spherical SiO2 support.