Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis has been studied in the literature as a greener pathway to cleaner and sustainable hydrocarbons production. However, the cost to upscale laboratory FT formulations to pilot scale is significantly expensive. This work proposes a cheaper and scalable low-temperature FT modified iron ore catalyst that is mechanically suited for fixed bed reactors. The mechanical strength reported in this investigation was three times more than commercial alumina spherical pellets and, therefore, suitable for pilot scale scenarios. A manufacturing cost analysis of iron ore was estimated to be US$38.45/kg using the CatCost model, and the conventionally prepared iron catalyst was US$71.44/kg using the same model. The manufacturing cost estimations of modified iron ore were found to be 46% cheaper than a conventional commercial iron catalyst. The catalytic performance of the modified iron ore catalyst showed a CO conversion of 72.1% ±4.24, with WGS and C5+ selectivity 48.6% ±1.96 and 83.2% ± 5.24, respectively. These findings were comparable (both in CO conversion and product selectivity) to the ones reported by other researchers.

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The use of iron ore as an alternative to conventional Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) iron catalyst has been identified as a way to achieve a cost-effective catalyst. In recent times, considerable progress has been made to build a strong case for iron ore as a viable alternative to traditional iron catalysts. Nevertheless, there are still opportunities to enhance the current iron ore low-temperature Fischer–Tropsch (LTFT) catalysts and pave the way for optimal performing catalysts. In this study, we thoroughly examined the various publications on iron ore catalysts used for FTS and highlighted the research gaps in the studies. The study identified the progress made so far, opportunities, and challenges regarding the use of iron ore as a catalyst in FTS. One of the critical areas that needs to be addressed from the review is establishing the deactivation pathways of these catalyst systems. The application of advanced spectroscopic and computational methods is also suggested to elucidate the relationship between the synthesis conditions, active catalytic sites, reaction intermediates, and catalytic performance to fabricate optimized iron ore LTFT catalysts.