Effects of Water Addition on CO Hydrogenation Over Zinc-Containing Spinel-Supported Cobalt Catalyst

Literature about water addition over AB 2 O 4 spinel-supported cobalt CO hydrogenation catalysts is sparse. A comparative water addition experiment was conducted over Co/ZnAl 2 O 4 ·Al 2 O 3 catalyst. Water addition may cause lower C 1 (i.e., CH 4 ) hydrocarbon distribution, lower C 2 –C 4 hydrocarbon distribution, higher C 5+ hydrocarbon distribution and higher C 2 –C 4 olefin/paraffin ratio than the control test without water addition. Possibly, as a product of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, water might have an autocatalytic effect for the FTS process to generate longer chain hydrocarbons via its facilitation of C–C coupling. The Co/ZnAl 2 O 4 ·Al 2 O 3 catalyst exhibits good resistance against steam sintering. Graphical Abstract