Enhancement of distillate selectivity in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis by using iron and cobalt catalysts in a novel dual-bed reactor

An integrated process for producing liquid fuels from synthesis gas via a two-stage Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reaction is disclosed. An iron catalyst was used in the first bed of a fixed-bed reactor followed by a ruthenium promoted cobalt catalyst in the second bed. The activity and selectivity of the dual-bed system were assessed and compared with those using catalysts in a single bed system, separately. The methane selectivity in the dual-bed reactor was about 11% less compared to that of the single-bed system. The C5+ selectivity for the dual-bed reactor was 19.7% higher than that of the single-bed system.