Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis is an important reaction for the alternative production of high-quality liquid fuels, which promote sustainable development by enabling economical decarbonization. The one-stage FT process involves both hydrocarbon growth and hydrocracking/isomerization in a single step and is more energy and cost efficient than the two-stage process. Bifunctional catalysts, composed of acid and metal sites, are needed in order to achieve one-step synthesis. In this review, we discuss the state of the art concerning the use of bifunctional catalysts for the one-stage FT process, focusing on the effect of metal and acid sites on the catalytic performance. Several supports with potential utility for the one-stage FT process were analyzed, including zeolites, clays, alumina, silica, aluminosilicates, and carbons, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are evaluated.

A systematic study over different treatment conditions, including hydrothermal and acid-thermal, was successfully carried out to determine the most suitable conditions to enhance the textural properties and surface chemical composition of natural dolomite. The reconstruction of dolomite after various treatments enhanced the surface area by 4–5 times and diminished the pore diameter between 70% and 81% compared to the untreated parent dolomite. The Rietveld analysis of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed changes in the crystalline compositions after each treatment. When the treated dolomite was used as a catalyst to produce glycerol carbonate via a transesterification reaction of glycerol and dimethyl carbonate, the crystalline Ca(OH)2 concentration of the modified dolomite and the apparent glycerol carbonate formation rate (rgc) are well-correlated. The results suggest that an increase of the crystalline Ca(OH)2 concentration could be related with surface basicity at the weak and moderate strength sites that may lead to an increase in catalytic activity. The hydrothermal treated dolomite showed a selectivity of glycerol carbonate greater than 99% and rgc value 3.42 mmol/min·gcat, which was higher than that achieved on other samples. This study could aid to the proper selection of dolomite treatment for the desired crystalline composition, depending on the applications of this highly available mineral.