Spatially resolved in-situ 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS) studies of iron-based catalysts

The 57Fe synchrotron Mössbauer source (SMS) will be used for spatially resolved operando Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS) of iron-based catalysts. This is to profile iron-phase (metallic iron, carbides and oxides) evolution along the catalyst bed, under conditions typical of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). FTS entails appropriate CO + H2 syngas mass flow rates, at up to 20 bar, and temperatures from 500 to 620 K. In particular we would like to first focus on the carburization process which produces the active catalyst crucial for the subsequent FTS process. We wish to obtain a better understanding of the spatially resolved carburization process preceding Fischer-Tropsch synthesis by varying reaction gases to understand the mechanism of carbide and oxide formation along the catalyst bed.