Influence of CO2-Rich Syngas on the Selectivity to C-10-C-14 in a Coupled Fischer-Tropsch/Hydrocracking Process

Synthesis gas (syngas) used for the production of synthetic fuels may contain significant amounts of CO2, depending on its source. For Fischer-Tropsch synthesis on cobalt, CO2 can be considered as inert diluent. However, in the specific case of a coupled Fischer-Tropsch-hydrocracking (FT-HC) process, CO2 could interact with the catalyst in the HC step. In this experimental study, HC product distributions obtained for FT-syngas compositions with and without CO2 and N-2 are presented. The selected feed gas compositions result from an advanced syngas production route via plasma splitting of CO2. Main target product was kerosene, here being defined as C-10-C-14. It was found that the CO2 presence is negligible with regard to adsorption or reaction on the HC catalyst. Further insights into possible impacts of CO2 could be obtained from the analysis of alcohols in the aqueous phase.