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Activation Of Precipitated Iron Fischer-Tropsch Catalysts, Mehul D. Shroff

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

The Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) is an important step in the manufacture of synthetic fuels from coal. The use of iron catalysts for FTS, though desirable from the standpoint of process economy, is hampered by problems relating to catalyst attrition and carbon buildup. In addition, from a research perspective, there has been a long-standing controversy in the literature with regard to the nature of the active phase.

The effect of activation and reaction treatments on the resulting phase transformations in a commercial, precipitated and spray-dried, Fe₂O₃ - CuO - K₂O Fischer-Tropsch catalyst have been studied. Different …