Nano-catalysts for gas to liquids: A concise review

Gas-to-liquids (GTL) has attracted attention as a commercial process capable of producing clean fuels and petrochemical products from natural gas. It has the potential to be a competitive alternative during a period of elevated global oil prices. The key steps of GTL involve the preparation of syngas (CO + H₂) through the methane reforming and the production of hydrocarbons through Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) from the syngas. In this review, nano-catalyst technology that is directly related to the increase in the efficiency of GTL will be introduced with a focus on reforming and FTS. This review will provide insights into current research trends and issues in the development of customized catalysts for reforming and FTS, as well as the thermodynamics and kinetics. Further, it places emphasis on the connection between the reforming and FTS, with a particular focus on the development of tailored reforming catalysts that can produce syngas with a H₂/CO ratio of 2 to 2.15 to suit the requirements of FTS. In that regard, various studies are being conducted on the catalyst design to inhibit the carbon deposition of the Ni-based catalyst for combined steam and CO₂ reforming. CeO₂ has been employed as major components for reforming based on its excellent physicochemical properties. This review also highlights the importance of customized FTS catalysts that consider the reactant gas composition. A considerable volume of literature has been published on the impact of Ru noble metal as the other active metal or promoter to improve the performance of Co-based catalysts for FTS.