Deactivation and Regeneration of a Zeolite-Containing Cobalt Catalyst in a Fisher–Tropsch Synthesis Reactor

Results from the prolonged tests of zeolite-containing cobalt catalysts for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis in reactor tubes comparable in size to those used in industrial reactors. During 3000 hours on stream catalyst activity was decreased by 13%. It is shown that the main reasons for zeolite-containing cobalt catalyst deactivation are agglomeration of cobalt clusters and carbon deposition on the catalyst surface. The authors propose one method of reducing the catalyst deactivation rate and two methods of regenerating it. It is shown that the oxidative regeneration treatment of zeolite-containing cobalt catalysts allows to recover 98% of the initial activity.