Effect of space velocity on alumina supported cobalt catalyst performance for fischer-tropsch reaction

Co/ɣ-Al2O3 catalyst was prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of the ɣ-Al2O3 support using an aqueous solution of cobalt nitrate. The catalyst was characterized by XRD, BET and TPR. It was evaluated in a fixed-bed reactor to determine the effect of space velocity on the CO conversion, CO conversion rate, CH4 selectivity and C5+ selectivity during Fischer-Tropsch reaction. CO conversion decreased while the CO conversion rate linearly increased with increasing the space velocity. The CH4 selectivity was not significantly affected by the space velocity as it fluctuated between 5 and 6%.