Synthesis and Characterization of Co-Mn Nanocatalyst Prepared by Thermal Decomposition for Fischer-Tropsch Reaction

Nano-structure of Co–Mn spinel oxide was prepared by the thermal decomposition method using [Co(NH3)4CO3]MnO4 as the precursor. The properties of the synthesized material were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), surface area measurements, Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy analysis, UV-Vis spectrophotometer (UV-Vis), Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analyses. The results show that Co–Mn spinel oxide is spherical in shape and possess crystallite size is about 12 nm. The catalytic activity and product selectivity were also investigated, in a micro-reactor (Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) reaction) and the results compared with conventional Co-Mn oxide catalyst. The catalyst performance increased as the particle size of the catalyst decreased. Moreover, the olefin to paraffin ratios was increased, compared to the conventional catalyst.