CoMn Catalysts Derived from Hydrotalcite-Like Precursors for Direct Conversion of Syngas to Fuel Range Hydrocarbons

Two different groups of CoMn catalysts derived from hydrotalcite-like precursors were prepared through the co-precipitation method, and their performance in the direct production of gasoline and jet fuel range hydrocarbons through Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis was evaluated in a batch autoclave reactor at 240 °C and 7 MPa and H₂/CO of 2. The physicochemical properties of the prepared catalysts were investigated and characterized using different characterization techniques. Catalyst performance was significantly affected by the catalyst preparation method. The crystalline phase of the catalyst prepared using KOH contained Co₃O₄ and some Co₂MnO_4.5 spinels, with a lower reducibility and catalytic activity than cobalt oxide. The available cobalt active sites are responsible for the chain growth, and the accessible acid sites are responsible for the cracking and isomerization. The catalysts prepared using KOH + K₂CO₃ mixture as a precipitant agent exhibited a high selectivity of 51–61% for gasoline (C₅–C₁₀) and 30–50% for jet fuel (C₈–C₁₆) range hydrocarbons compared with catalysts precipitated by KOH. The CoMn-HTC-III catalyst with the highest number of available acid sites showed the highest selectivity to C₅–C₁₀ hydrocarbons, which demonstrates that a high Brønsted acidity leads to the high degree of cracking of FT products. The CO conversion did not significantly change, and it was around 35–39% for all catalysts. Owing to the poor activity in the water-gas shift reaction, CO₂ formation was less than 2% in all the catalysts.