Advances in F ischer– T ropsch Synthesis for the Production of Fuels and Chemicals

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is an important and well-established process for direct syngas conversion to various fuels and value-added chemicals from non-petroleum carbon resources such as natural gas, shale gas, coal, biomass, solid waste, and even CO 2 . The volatility of the oil price coupled with increasing concern about the depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the urgent pursuit of renewable energy accelerate the development of syngas chemistry. Commonly, the FTS process involves the activation of CO and HH bonds as well producing C–C coupling and carbon chain termination. The product selectivity for the FTS process generally follows Anderson–Schulz–Flory (ASF) distribution. Recent progress by constructing efficient catalytic systems and adopting novel strategies, concepts, and methodologies significantly breaks the selectivity limitation for obtaining specific target products with high selectivity. In addition, the development of advanced characterization techniques has contributed to the identification of the detailed structure of active sites and elucidation of the reaction networks and the catalytic mechanism. This chapter mainly highlights the significant advances made over the past decade in developing efficient catalysts and understanding the nature of active sites for FTS directed to various fuels and chemicals. Moreover, the employment of efficient bifunctional or multifunctional catalysts during syngas conversion to achieve better control of product selectivity is emphasized. Finally, currently existing challenges for syngas conversion are discussed, and the perspectives for future research directions are briefly outlined.