Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis of C4–C5 Isoparaffins via CoxMn1–xO Nanocomposites with Suppressed CO2

The synthesis of a specific product via the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis remains challenging due to the uncontrollable coupling of CHx on active sites. Isoparaffins, essential high-quality petroleum additives for improving octane numbers, are primarily derived from petroleum or natural gas. With petroleum reserves dwindling and the associated low selectivity, the direct conversion of syngas to isoparaffins has emerged as a promising alternative. This study presents a tandem catalyst comprising CoxMn1–xO and zeolites for catalyzing the direct conversion of syngas to C4–C5 isoparaffins. The relay catalyst exhibited an impressive selectivity of 55.6% toward the desired products while maintaining a low CO2 selectivity of approximately 20%. Notably, the selectivity of isobutane reached 43.5%, exceeding predictions based on the Anderson–Schulz–Flory distribution. Syngas undergoes conversion into olefins on CoxMn1–xO nanocomposites, diffuses into microporous zeolites, and interacts with Brønsted acids to produce isoparaffins. The stability of the relay catalyst relied significantly on the pore characteristics and acidic density of the zeolites.