Selective CO hydrogenation over bimetallic Co-Fe catalysts for the production of light paraffin hydrocarbons (C2-C4): Effect of H2/CO ratio and reaction temperature

Synthetic natural gas (SNG) from syngas is considered a promising substitute for fossil fuels because of its environmental advantages; however, its heating value is below the standard heating value (especially in South Korea and Japan). In this study, bimetallic Co-Fe catalysts were developed for the production of C2-C4 hydrocarbons for usage as mixing gases to improve the heating value of SNG. The effect of the process conditions on the catalytic behavior was investigated. Catalyst 5Co-15Fe/γ-Al2O3 showed the best results with 91.2% CO conversion, 28.2% C2-C4 selectivity, and 0.98 paraffin ratio at H2/CO = 3.0 and 300 °C.