Reflections on the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis: Mechanistic issues from a surface science perspective

A Single-Event MicroKinetic model for the cobalt catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

“…In contrast direct CO dissociation was found to proceed with lower activation energies than hydrogen assisted CO dissociation on corrugated surfaces [54,55]. Surface science studies, furthermore, confirm that undercoordinated sites are active for direct CO dissociation [51,[62][63][64]. With respect to the structure sensitivity of the FTS reaction, ab initio calculated activation energies for both the direct or the H assisted CO dissociation depend on the type of active site.…”

“…The OH 27 hydrogenation, hence, controls the activity while the CH2 hydrogenation determines the activity as well as the selectivity. Water formation as rate-controlling step for the CO conversion rate has also been suggested by Weststrate et al [51] based on surface science studies.…”

“…Certainly with respect to CO activation, considerable efforts have been undertaken to elucidate the mechanism and explain the observed structure sensitivity of the FTS reaction [32,35,43,[51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59]. In principle, two mechanisms are considered, i.e., direct CO dissociation and H assisted CO dissociation.…”

Self‐Anticoking of a Cobalt Surface by Subsurface Oxygen in the Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis

“…[2,3] Co and Fe are used in catalysts for commercial FT synthesis. [7][8][9] Resulting from molecular or dissociative adsorption of CO andH 2 ,t he primary surface species on Co surfaces are molecularly-adsorbed CO, carbidic carbon,a tomico xygen, and atomic hydrogen, which react to initiate the complex surface reactionn etwork and produce hydrocarbons.G reat efforts have been devoted to understanding the CO activationa nd carbon chain propagationm echanisms, but the resultsa re of ongoing debate. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the fundamental processest aking place on Co surfaces during FT synthesis, in order to optimize the design of Co FT catalysts essential for the efficient use of the metal.…”

“…Therefore, it is crucial to understand the fundamental processest aking place on Co surfaces during FT synthesis, in order to optimize the design of Co FT catalysts essential for the efficient use of the metal. [7][8][9] Resulting from molecular or dissociative adsorption of CO andH 2 ,t he primary surface species on Co surfaces are molecularly-adsorbed CO, carbidic carbon,a tomico xygen, and atomic hydrogen, which react to initiate the complex surface reactionn etwork and produce hydrocarbons.G reat efforts have been devoted to understanding the CO activationa nd carbon chain propagationm echanisms, but the resultsa re of ongoing debate. [10][11][12] Only af ew experimental studies have been reported on the reactivity of carbidic carbon, atomic oxygen, and atomic hydrogen on Co surfaces.…”