Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

Nanosized iron crystallites for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-148).

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mabaso, Evans Itai
Other Authors: Claeys, Michael
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Centre for Catalysis Research 2014
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613298898239488
access_status_str Open Access
author Mabaso, Evans Itai
author2 Claeys, Michael
author_browse Claeys, Michael
Mabaso, Evans Itai
author_facet Claeys, Michael
Mabaso, Evans Itai
author_sort Mabaso, Evans Itai
collection Thesis
description Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-148).
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8736
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:33:55.830Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2014
publishDateRange 2014
publishDateSort 2014
publisher Centre for Catalysis Research
publisherStr Centre for Catalysis Research
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8736 Nanosized iron crystallites for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis Mabaso, Evans Itai Claeys, Michael Civil Engineering Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-148). Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is the production of hydrocarbons from CO and H2. The catalytically active metals for industrial application are cobalt and iron. In this work iron-based catalysts were studied. To ensure maximum metal utilisation and therefore a high weight specific catalytic activity, the metal crystallites should possess large specific surface areas and that is only achievable with small metal crystallites. However, a minimum crystallite size might exist below which catalyst activity drops. Consequently, in order to investigate the role of crystallite size on the stability, the activity and selectivity of iron based catalysts, supported catalysts with a known narrow metal crystallite size distribution were prepared via precipitation in water-in-oil microemulsions in which water-to-surfactant ratio was the main design parameter. The study was subdivided into firstly characterisation of a suitable water-in-oil microemulsion system. Secondly preparation of nanosized oxidic iron crystallites with controlled crystallite size via precipitation in water-in-oil microemulsion. Thirdly preparation of the supported catalyst using the same but selected microemulsion systems. Finally catalyst testing under Fischer-Tropsch reaction conditions in a fixed bed reactor. A strictly linear relationship between water-to-surfactant ratio and crystallite size was observed. The catalyst preparation technique for unsupported iron oxides resulted in uniform nanocrystallites tailored to a size range of 2-16 nm. The morphology of the crystallites on supports remained largely unchanged upon reductive pretreatment. This made catalysts prepared in microemulsions ideally suitable for investigating the effect of crystallite size during Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. 2014-10-23T07:11:30Z 2014-10-23T07:11:30Z 2005 Doctoral Thesis Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8736 eng application/pdf Centre for Catalysis Research Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Civil Engineering
Mabaso, Evans Itai
Nanosized iron crystallites for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
thesis_degree_str Doctoral
title Nanosized iron crystallites for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
title_full Nanosized iron crystallites for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
title_fullStr Nanosized iron crystallites for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
title_full_unstemmed Nanosized iron crystallites for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
title_short Nanosized iron crystallites for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
title_sort nanosized iron crystallites for fischer tropsch synthesis
topic Civil Engineering
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8736
work_keys_str_mv AT mabasoevansitai nanosizedironcrystallitesforfischertropschsynthesis