The invention relates to potassium-promoted, Fe.sup.2+(Fe.sup.3+yAl.sup.3+i-y)2.sup.o4 [0.3<.sub.y0.7] silica-containing extrudates, processes for the preparation of the extrudates with the aid of colloidal silica, and the use of the extrudates to catalyze processes for producing liquid hydrocarbons.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method of preparing synthetic fuel using natural gas extracted from a standard gas field on land or at sea as a raw material through a compact GTL process or a GTL-FPSO process. A parallel-type gas purification unit for controlling a molar ratio of synthetic gas and a concentration of carbon dioxide in the synthetic gas, in which a CO.sub.2 separation device and a bypass unit are disposed in parallel, is provided and, thus, the gas purification unit may prepare the synthetic gas by a steam carbon dioxide reforming (SCR) reaction using natural gas having different CO.sub.2 contents of various standard gas fields and then supply the synthetic gas having an optimum composition suitable for a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction to prepare the synthetic fuel.

Fischer-Tropsch process for the synthesis of hydrocarbons by bringing a feedstock including synthesis gas into contact with a catalyst prepared by the following: a porous support is brought into contact with a cobalt metal salt of which the melting point of the cobalt metal salt is between 30 and 150 C. for between 5 minutes and 5 hours, in order to form a solid mixture, the weight ratio of said cobalt metal salt to the porous oxide support being between 0.1 and 1; the solid mixture obtained is heated with stirring under atmospheric pressure at a temperature between the melting point of the cobalt metal salt and 200 C. for a period of time of between 30 minutes and 12 hours; the solid obtained is calcined at a temperature above 200 C. and below or equal to 1100 C.

The invention relates to a method for preparing a catalyst or catalyst precursor comprising a catalytically active material and a carrier material. The invention relates to a catalyst particle and catalyst precursor thereof obtainable by said method. The catalyst may be used in a process for synthesising hydrocarbons.

The present invention relates to catalysts, more particularly to a cobalt-containing catalyst composition. The present invention further relates to a process for preparing a cobalt-containing catalyst precursor, a process for preparing a cobalt-containing catalyst, and a hydrocarbon synthesis process wherein such a catalyst is used. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a cobalt-containing catalyst composition comprising cobalt and/or a cobalt compound supported on and/or in a catalyst support; the catalyst composition also including a titanium compound on and/or in the catalyst support, and a manganese compound on and/or in the catalyst support.

A process for the synthesis of linear paraffinic hydrocarbons from a feed comprising carbon monoxide and dihydrogen in the presence of a mesoporous oxide matrix and cobalt prepared by mixing, at least one molecular precursor of cobalt and at least one colloidal precursor of mesoporous oxide matrix and by silicon, aluminium, titanium, zirconium, cerium or mixtures thereof, dissolved in aqueous or hydro-organic solvent; spray drying the mixture obtained to form spherical liquid droplets; drying the droplets to obtain solid particles activating the solid particles by reduction to form nanoparticles of cobalt with an oxidation state of 0.

Disclosed are iron nanoparticles, in which at least 70% of the iron atoms they contain are present in an Fe2,2C crystalline structure. In particular, these nanoparticles can be obtained via the carburization of zero-valent iron nanoparticles, by contacting the iron nanoparticles with a gas mixture of dihydrogen and carbon monoxide. The iron carbide nanoparticles are particularly suitable to be used for hyperthermia and for catalyzing Sabatier and Fischer-Tropsch reactions.

The invention relates to a catalyst containing an active cobalt phase, deposited on a support comprising alumina, silica or silica-alumina, said support also containing a mixed oxide phase containing cobalt and/or nickel, said catalyst having been prepared by introducing at least one hydrocarbon organic compound of formula C.sub.xH.sub.y. The invention also relates to the use thereof in the field of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis processes.

The invention relates to potassium-promoted, Fe.sup.2+(Fe.sup.3+.sub.yAl.sup.3+.sub.1-y).sub.2O.sub.4 [0.3y0.7] silica-containing extrudates, processes for the preparation of the extrudates with the aid of colloidal silica, and the use of the extrudates to catalyze processes for producing liquid hydrocarbons.

Described herein are catalysts relating to liquid synthesis, methods of their preparation, and methods of their use. In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, a method of producing a catalyst for liquid synthesis comprises: providing a silica oxide support; pretreating the silica oxide support to remove air and moisture; impregnating the pretreated silica oxide support with cobalt from a cobalt source using a cobalt impregnation method; and calcinating the impregnated silica oxide support in an oven with a temperature ramping profile, wherein the calcinating comprises feeding air into the oven.