Solid state mechanism leading to enhanced attrition resistance of alumina based catalyst supports for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

A solid state mechanism for improving the attrition resistance of alumina based catalyst supports for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis is reported. The grain size, intergranular neck formation and phase composition of the support are modified by impregnating γ-alumina with metal oxide precursors, which enable to control the phase transformation and coarsening of the γ-alumina based supports during calcination. We show by high temperature X-ray diffraction that the formation of a metastable spinel solid solution is critical for the evolution of the microstructure.