The Pi t tsburgh Energy Technology Center i s responsible f o r implementing the U.S. Department o f Energy's (DOE) I n d i r e c t L iquefact ion program as p a r t o f the Coal L iquefact ion program. The o v e r a l l goal of t he Coal L iquefact ion program i s t o develop the s c i e n t i f i c and engineering knowledge base t o he lp i ndus t r y market economically compet i t ive and en...

Introduction The preparation and characterization of nanophase materials has received considerable attention in recent years, given their potential for improved performance as catalysts, high-strength materials, and semiconductor devices. For example, a recent breakthrough by Sun et al. (1) in the synthesis of highly-dispersed, silica-supported iron-platinum (FePt) bimetallic nanoclusters of co...

Introduction Hydrogenation of carbon monoxide to produce hydrocarbons, normally called Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (F-T synthesis), is one of the most important hydrogenation reactions due to its potential for the intermediate production of hydrocarbon fuels in the “postpetroleum” era. The reaction is favored at low-temperature and therefore reducing the particle size of the catalyst to several n...

Since its discovery in the 1920s, the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) has undergone periods of rapid development and periods of inaction. Within ten years of the discovery, German companies were building commercial plants. The construction of these plants stopped about 1940 but existing plants continued to operate during WWII. Two types of reactors were used in the German commercial plants: the...

This perspective offers an overview of using nanomaterials for understanding cobalt catalysed Fischer-Tropsch chemistry. Nanomaterials now afford unprecedented control of size, shape and structure at the nanometre scale. This makes them invaluable tools for studying heterogeneous catalysis. The Fischer-Tropsch reaction, especially using cobalt based catalysts, is a linchpin in many processes fo...