An Overview of Low-Temperature Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: Market Conditions, Raw Materials, Reactors, Scale-Up, Process Intensification, Mechanisms, and Outlook

Abstract

The Fischer−Tropsch technology has allowed, since its emergence a century ago, the production of stable liquid fuels from different raw materials in different geographic scenarios that do not necessarily have oil reserves. Some of these raw materials can generate high-quality fuels with a lower content of sulfur, aromatic, and heterocyclic compounds. The scaling and intensification of the reactors are essential factors in this context, and important challenges such as energy transfer due to the highly exothermic reaction, hydrodynamics due to limited information on pilot-scale in a reasonable range of conditions, or reducing CH 4 selectivity while maintaining high conversion through catalyst design, must be considered. This perspective provides an overview of recent developments in industrial-scale low-temperature Fischer−Tropsch reactors, with a focus on the significance of microchannel reactors in the scale-up process. The advancement in the Fischer−Tropsch synthesis is discussed, with an emphasis on the carbide and CO insertion mechanisms, as well as the socio-political-economic factors that continue to impact the development of this technology.

Low oxidation state and hydrido group 2 complexes: synthesis and applications in the activation of gaseous substrates

“…187,188 This contrasts with current (and unsustainable) methods to produce fuel that rely upon extraction and cracking of crude oil from natural reservoirs within the upper continental crust. 189 The artificial production of fuel utilising the Fischer–Tropsch process generally requires heterogeneous catalysts that give a broad mixture of hydrocarbons (solid catalyst/gas). 190,191 Soluble models of the Fischer–Tropsch process can provide a more detailed mechanistic insight into the synthesis at a molecular level, which remains complicated for heterogeneous systems where the polymerisation reaction takes place on the surface of the catalyst, 192,193 ultimately aiding in the design of chemoselective homogeneous metal complexes to produce well-defined hydrocarbon products.…”