“FISCHER-TROPSCH SYNTHESIS: OPTIMIZATION OF THE ACTIVATION TREATMENT WITH H2 IN A Fe/SBA-15 CATALYST”.

S.J.A. FIGUEROA, S.J. STEWART, L.A. CANO, J.F. BENGOA, M.V. CAGNOLI AND S.G. MARCHETTI.

Simposio; “9th Novel Gas Conversion Symposium”; 2010

An iron catalyst supported on SBA-15, was activated in pure H2 stream. Different iron species were obtained after the different activation treatments: Fe2+ diffused into the SBA-15 walls, Fe3O4 and Feº for the catalyst activated in pure H2 stream. Using “in situ” X-ray absorption studies at Fe K-edge (XANES) we were able to determine that a long reduction period it is not convenient as activation treatment in Fe/SBA-15 system, since the α-Fe content decrease and the Fe2+ ions concentration increase if a reduction time higher than 2.6 h is used. The presence of Fe2+ is undesirable since this species is catalytically inactive.