Journal of Natural Gas Chemistry 21(2012)722–728 Ruthenium promotion of Co/SBA-15 catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in slurry-phase reactors Jocielys Jovelino Rodrigues 1∗ , Gina Pecchi 2 , Fabiano Andr´ e Narciso Fernandes 3 , Meiry Gl´ aucia Freire Rodrigues 4 1. Federal University of Campina Grande, Academic Unit of Chemical Engineering, Campina Grande, Brazil; 2. Facultad de Ciencias Qu´ ımicas, Departamento de F´ ısico-Qu´ ımica, Universidad de Concepci´ on, Santiago, Chile; 3. Federal University of Cear´ a, Department of Chemical Engineering, Fortaleza, Brazil; 4. Federal University of Campina Grande, Academic Unit of Chemical Engineering, Campina Grande, Brazil [ Manuscript received February 3, 2012; revised June 15, 2012 ] Abstract The aim of this work was to evaluate the catalytic properties of a Ru promoted Co/SBA-15 catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). The Ru promoted Co/SBA-15 catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation method and was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray energy dispersion spectrophotometer, N 2 adsorption-desorption, temperature-programmed reduction and transmission electron microscopy. The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis using the catalyst was carried out to evaluate the catalyst activity and its effect on FTS product distribution. The synthesis was carried out in a slurry reactor operating at 513 K, 20 atm, CO : H 2 molar ratio of 1 : 1. X-ray diffraction showed that the calcined cobalt catalyst did not modify the structure of SBA-15, proving that Co was present in the form of Co 3 O 4 in the catalyst. The addition of cobalt in SBA-15 decreased the specific superficial area of the molecular sieve. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis activity and C 5+ hydrocarbon selectivity increased with the addition of Ru. The increases in activity and selectivity were attributed to the increased number of active sites resulting from higher reducibility and the synergetic effect of Ru and Co. Ru/Co/SBA-15 catalysts showed moderate conversion (40%) and high selectivity towards the production of C 5+ (80 wt%). Key words SBA-15; cobalt; ruthenium; heterogeneous catalyst; slurry reactor; Fischer-Tropsch synthesis 1. Introduction Modern Fischer-Tropsch technology is becoming a key industrial process in warranting a crude-oil independent sup- ply of high quality liquid fuels, which fulfill the very strin- gent modern environmental requirements, by exploiting abun- dant and renewable sources such as natural gas and biomass. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is receiving renewed atten- tion, driven by the global need to convert natural gas and non- petroleum based energy resources into fuels and chemicals [1-6]. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis produces hydrocarbons from syngas (H 2 and CO mixture) [7-9]: nCO +(2n + 1)H 2 → C n H 2 n+2 + nH 2 O (1) Mesoporous silica with narrow pore size distribution, such as HMS, MCM-48 [10] and MCM-41 [11-13], has been used as catalyst support which provides better control of pore size, thus enhancing the catalytic properties. Recently, the synthesis of a new periodic mesoporous silica, SBA-15, has been reported under acidic medium using triblock copolymers as structure-directing agents [14]. SBA-15 has high surface area (600-1000 m 2 /g) and is formed by a hexagonal array of uniform tubular channels with pore diameters ranging from 5 to 30 nm, which are significantly larger than those of MCM- 41. SBA-15 also has thicker pore walls and better hydrother- mal stability than MCM-41 [11-15], a feature that can be relevant for FTS process in which water is an important by- product. Cobalt is considered as the most favorable metal for the synthesis of long chain hydrocarbons due to its high activity, high selectivity to linear paraffins and low water-gas shift ∗ Corresponding author. Tel: +55-83-21011488, +55-83-21011115; Fax: +55-83-21011488; E-mail: jocielys@yahoo.com.br This work was supported by the Coordenac ¸˜ ao de Aperfeic ¸oamento de Pessoal de N´ ıvel Superior (CAPES) and Petrobras. Copyright©2012, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S1003-9953(11)60425-8