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Water-induced deactivation of cobalt-based Fischer–Tropsch catalysts

Nature Catalysis volume 3, pages 962–965 (2020)Cite this article

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The Fischer–Tropsch product, water, is regularly hypothesized to be the driving force for catalyst deactivation. Cobalt nanoparticles may be oxidized to CoO, form mixed-metal oxides with supports, or sinter to larger particles. This Comment discusses the feasibility of these deactivation pathways, highlighting the importance of in situ characterization.

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Fig. 1: Potential pathways of water-induced deactivation of cobalt-based catalysts.
Fig. 2: Thresholds for the oxidation of cobalt nanoparticles.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support from the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Catalysis (c*change), the University of Cape Town (UCT), and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catalysis Institute and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Catalysis c*change, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa

    Moritz Wolf, Nico Fischer & Michael Claeys

  2. Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik (CRT), Erlangen, Germany

    Moritz Wolf

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  1. Moritz Wolf
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All authors contributed to planning, writing and editing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Michael Claeys.

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Wolf, M., Fischer, N. & Claeys, M. Water-induced deactivation of cobalt-based Fischer–Tropsch catalysts. Nat Catal 3, 962–965 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-020-00534-5

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