Biofuels Production Using Structured Catalyst in Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis

Yira Hurtado, Iván D. Mora-Vergara () and Jean-Michel Lavoie ()
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Yira Hurtado: Laboratoire des Technologies de la Biomasse, Département de Génie Chimique et de Génie Biotechnologique, Faculté de Génie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
Iván D. Mora-Vergara: Laboratoire des Technologies de la Biomasse, Département de Génie Chimique et de Génie Biotechnologique, Faculté de Génie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
Jean-Michel Lavoie: Laboratoire des Technologies de la Biomasse, Département de Génie Chimique et de Génie Biotechnologique, Faculté de Génie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-19

Abstract: The biomass-to-liquid process is a promising alternative for sustainably meeting the growing demand for liquid fuels. This study focuses on the fabrication, characterization, and performance of a structured iron catalyst for producing hydrocarbons through Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS). The catalyst was designed to address some drawbacks of conventional supported catalysts, such as low utilization, poor activity, and instability. The experimental investigation involved the manufacturing and characterization of both promoted and unpromoted iron-based catalysts. The performance of the structured iron catalyst was assessed in a fixed-bed reactor under relevant industrial conditions. Notably, the best results were achieved with a syngas ratio typical of the gasification of lignocellulosic biomass, where the catalyst exhibited superior catalytic activity and selectivity toward desired hydrocarbon products, including light olefins and long-chain paraffins. The resulting structured catalyst achieved up to 95% CO conversion in a single pass with 5% selectivity for CH 4 . The results indicate that the developed structured iron catalyst has considerable potential for efficient and sustainable hydrocarbon production via the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. The catalyst’s performance, enhanced stability, and selectivity present promising opportunities for its application in large-scale hydrocarbon synthesis processes.

Keywords: Fischer–Tropsch synthesis; structured catalyst; biofuels; syngas; biomass to liquids (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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