Ana B. De La Ree

United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation, Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Lauren M. Best

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Robyn L. Bradford

Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio

Richard Gonzalez-Arroyo

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

Aloysius F. Hepp

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Fischer-Tropsch Catalyst for Aviation 

Fuel Production

NASA/TM—2012-217402

April 2012

AIAA–2011–5740
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Ana B. De La Ree

United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation, Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Lauren M. Best

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Robyn L. Bradford

Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio

Richard Gonzalez-Arroyo

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

Aloysius F. Hepp

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Fischer-Tropsch Catalyst for Aviation 

Fuel Production

NASA/TM—2012-217402

April 2012

AIAA–2011–5740

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Glenn Research Center

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Prepared for the

9th International Energy Conversion Engineering Conference (IECEC)

sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

San Diego, California, July 31–August 3, 2011
Acknowledgments

We acknowledge fi nancial support from NASA’s Fundamental Aeronautics (Subsonic Fixed Wing) and ETDD (ISRU) 

programs for in-house work. The NASA Education Offi ce supported Dr. Ana De La Ree through the UNCFSP-UNEEC Energy 

and Environmental Studies Cluster. We also thank the Center for Applied Energy Research at the University of Kentucky, 

Dr. Gary Jacobs and Dr. Burton H. Davis for their time and knowledge. We acknowledge a gift of high surface area 

alumina support material from Sasol North America, Inc.

Available from

NASA Center for Aerospace Information

7115 Standard Drive

Hanover, MD 21076–1320

National Technical Information Service

5301 Shawnee Road

Alexandria, VA 22312

Available electronically at http://www.sti.nasa.gov

Trade names and trademarks are used in this report for identifi cation 

only. Their usage does not constitute an offi cial endorsement, 

either expressed or implied, by the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration.

This work was sponsored by the Fundamental Aeronautics Program 

at the NASA Glenn Research Center.

Level of Review: This material has been technically reviewed by technical management. 
NASA/TM—2012-217402 1

Fischer-Tropsch Catalyst for Aviation Fuel Production 

Ana B. De La Ree 

United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation 

Glenn Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135 

Lauren M. Best 

Glenn Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135 

Robyn L. Bradford 

Central State University 

Wilberforce, Ohio 45384 

Richard Gonzalez-Arroyo 

University of Puerto Rico 

Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00681 

Aloysius F. Hepp 

Glenn Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135 

Abstract 

As the oil supply declines, there is a greater need for cleaner alternative fuels. There will undoubtedly 

be a shift from crude oil to non-petroleum sources as a feedstock for aviation (and other transportation) 

fuels. The Fischer-Tropsch process uses a gas mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen which is 

converted into various liquid hydrocarbons; this versatile gas-to-liquid technology produces a complex 

product stream of paraffins, olefins, and oxygenated compounds such as alcohols and aldehydes. The 

Fischer-Tropsch process can produce a cleaner diesel oil fraction with a high cetane number (typically 

above 70) without any sulfur and aromatic compounds. It is most commonly catalyzed by cobalt 

supported on alumina, silica, or titania or unsupported alloyed iron powders. Cobalt is typically used 

more often than iron, in that cobalt is a longer-active catalyst, has lower water-gas shift activity, and 

lower yield of modified products. Promoters are valuable in improving Fischer-Tropsch catalyst as they 

can increase cobalt oxide dispersion, enhance the reduction of cobalt oxide to the active metal phase, 

stabilize a high metal surface area, and improve mechanical properties. Our goal is to build up the 

specificity of the Fischer-Tropsch catalyst while adding less-costly transition metals as promoters; the 

more common promoters used in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis are rhenium, platinum, and ruthenium. In this 

report we will describe our preliminary efforts to design and produce catalyst materials to achieve our 

goal of preferentially producing C8 to C18 paraffin compounds in the NASA Glenn Research Center GasTo-Liquid processing plant. Efforts at NASA Glenn Research Center for producing green fuels using nonpetroleum feedstocks support both the Sub-sonic Fixed Wing program of Fundamental Aeronautics and 

the In Situ Resource Utilization program of the Exploration Technology Development and Demonstration 

program. 

 
NASA/TM—2012-217402 2

Nomenclature 

Al2O3 alumina or aluminum oxide

BET Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller, surface area analysis method 

CH4 methane or natural gas 

CO carbon monoxide 

Co cobalt 

CSTR continuously-stirred tank reactor 

EDS energy dispersive spectroscopy 

Fe iron 

FTS Fischer-Tropsch synthesis 

GTL gas-to-liquid 

H2 hydrogen gas 

ISRU In Situ Resource Utilization (program) 

Pt platinum 

RWGS reverse water-gas shift reaction 

Re rhenium 

Ru ruthenium 

SEM scanning electron microscopy 

SiO2 silica or silicon dioxide 

TiO2 titania or titanium dioxide 

TPR temperature-programmed reduction, a chemi-sorption analysis method 

WGS water-gas shift reaction 

Introduction 

Petroleum has made it possible to advance technology and modern transportation over the past two 

centuries. However, several realities have emerged to force a re-thinking of an over-reliance on this nonrenewable fossil fuel: the environmental impact of their usage, complex geo-politics and security 

ramifications, and eventually the dwindling supply of this essential but non-renewable resource. While 

there are certainly alternatives to petroleum-based transportation such as fuel cell or other electric land 

and nuclear maritime propulsion, aviation and space transportation require high-energy-density fuels. 

Gas-to-liquid (GTL) technologies, notably Fischer-Tropsch (FT) processing of synthesis gas (CO and H2), 

are critical industrial processes that produce a complex product stream useful for transportation fuels and 

chemicals. We describe efforts at NASA Glenn to produce Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalysts that target 

the saturated hydrocarbon fraction of the product stream (C8 to C18 hydrocarbons), as this material is most 

similar to the high-energy-density JP-8, an aviation fuel useful for commercial and military jets. 

As the oil supply dwindles, there is a greater need for (cleaner) alternative fuels and/or feedstocks 

(Refs. 1 to 3). Also, there is likely to be a shift from crude oil to natural gas as a feedstock for the 

chemical industry. In order to meet the new demand, the FT processes will be critical for gas-to-liquid 

conversions. Fisher-Tropsch process can produce a cleaner diesel oil fraction with a high cetane number 

(typically above 70) without any sulfur and aromatic compounds (Refs. 4 to 5); it uses a feedstock of 

carbon monoxide and hydrogen (syn-gas), in which the gas is converted into various liquid hydrocarbons. 

Typically, FTS is catalyzed by cobalt supported on alumina, silica, or titania or unsupported alloyed iron 

powders. Cobalt is typically used more often than iron because cobalt is a longer-active catalyst, has less 
NASA/TM—2012-217402 3

water-gas shift activity, and lower production of modified products such as oxygen-containing molecules 

(alcohols, aledhydes, ketones, etc.) (Ref. 6). 

One objective of the effort at NASA GRC is to develop multiple FTS catalysts to use in the 

Alternative Fuels Research Laboratory, a petroleum processing facility with three continuously-stirred 

tank reactors (CSTRs). The catalysts were prepared and fully characterized by various analytical 

techniques: chemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy, chemi- (temperature programmed reduction 

or TPR) and physi-sorption (Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller or BET) analysis. The goal is to enhance the 

fraction of the FTS reaction that can be used for aviation fuel (saturated C8 to C18 hydrocarbons) or 

additives. As we develop a better understanding of the correlation between the preparation and activity of 

catalysts, promoters are added to the supported FTS catalysts. 

Addition of transition metals as promoters is one well-studied method to enhance the catalytic 

properties of FTS catalysts. The more common promoters used in FTS are rhenium, platinum, and 

ruthenium. Eri and co-workers were the first to add rhenium to cobalt/alumina catalysts (Ref. 7). Diaz and 

co-workers have shown that rhenium can enhance the reducibility of cobalt oxides as well as increasing 

catalytic activity (Ref. 8). Promoters are valuable in improving Fischer-Tropsch catalysts as they can 

increase cobalt oxide dispersion, promote reduction of cobalt oxide to the active metal phase, stabilize a 

high metal surface area, and improve mechanical properties (Ref. 9). In order to look for lower cost 

alternatives to the platinum-group metals we are looking at alternatives such as silver and manganese; 

platinum is also being studied as a comparison to the literature. 

Efforts at the NASA Glenn Research Center for producing green fuels using non-petroleum feedstocks 

support both the Sub-sonic Fixed Wing program of Fundamental Aeronautics and the In Situ Resource 

Utilization (ISRU) program of the Exploration Technology Development and Demonstration (ETDD) 

program. The non-petroleum feedstocks include: bio-mass, salt-tolerant plants and algae, syn-gas, waste 

plastic, and gas streams derived from one or more second-generation waste conversion processes. The 

primary activities discussed herein include the synthesis and characterization of FTS catalyst with the 

addition of promoters as a means of improving the activity of the reaction. 

Experimental 

Catalyst Preparation 

Catalysts were prepared in a similar manner to the description in a U.S. patent by Espinoza et al. 

(Ref. 10). Sasol Catalox SBa-200 alumina was used as a support material with a surface area of 

192.12 m2

/g and a pore volume of 0.46 ml/g. Cobalt (II) nitrate hexahydrate (Sigma-Aldrich) was used to 

load onto the alumina for the preparation of the cobalt FT Catalyst. Various promoters were added to this 

catalyst, which precursors included: tetraamine platinum (II) nitrate, silver nitrate, ruthenium (III) 

nitrosylnitate, palladium (II) chloride, manganese (II) nitrate hydrate, and nickel (II) nitrate hexahydrate. 

The support was calcined at 150 °C under 10–2 torr in a vacuum oven. It was then maintained under 

atmospheric pressure of Argon at 150 °C until it was ready to be used. The alumina support was loaded 

with either 15 or 25% cobalt using the slurry impregnation method. This method involved doing two 

impregnations of the alumina with the cobalt solution leading to the desired loading. The loading solution 

used was 2.5 times the pore volume of the alumina support. The slurry was dried under vacuum with a 

rotary evaporator at 85 °C in between impregnations. After the final cobalt concentration was achieved, 

the noble metal promoter was added by incipient wetness impregnation, where the solution total volume 

was a mere 0.8 times the pore volume of the alumina. This was done to minimize the amount of noble 

metal loss and to account for the smaller pores, given that cobalt has partially filled these pores. The 

catalyst was then dried again under vacuum with the rotary evaporator. The catalysts were then calcined 

in dry air at 350 °C for 4 hr. Once the catalyst synthesis was complete, the catalyst are stable and stored 

under air in jars labeled appropriately. 

 
NASA/TM—2012-217402 4

TABLE 1.—FISCHER-TROPSCH CATALYSTS 

[Cobalt on alumina support prepared by slurry 

and incipient wetness impregnation.] 

Sample 

number 

Co loading, 

percent 

Promoter, 

percent 

ICP 

elemental 

analysis 

Surface 

area, 

m2

/g 

Reduction 

temperature, 

°C 

1 25 No promoter 127.135 350 

3 25 Ag 0.5 23.6/0.278 109.35 369 

4 25 Mn 0.5 25.7/0.592 103.17 366 

5 25 Ni 0.5 23.8/0.891 128.66 348 

6 25 Ru 0.5 25.5/1.26 78.57 322 

7 25 Pt 0.5 24.8/0.459 115.93 265 

8 25 Ru 1.0 23.0/2.20 123.85 264 

9 15 Mn 0.5 13.8/0.572 101.01 354 

10 15 Pd 0.5 14.1/0.429 111.37 229 

Surface Area Measurements 

The BET (Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller) surface area was measured with a Micromeritics 

Flowsorb II 2300 and a Leeds and Northrup Automatic Surface Area Analyzer 4200. To eliminate water 

from the surface prior to measurement, the samples were degassed at 250 °C for about 30 min. The 

sample was then exposed to a 30% nitrogen mixture in argon while under liquid nitrogen. After a 

complete adsorption of nitrogen onto the surface of the catalyst was achieved, the sample was warmed up 

to room temperature and the amount of nitrogen desorbed was measured using a thermal conductivity 

detector (TCD). The results of the physisorption measurements are listed in Table 1. 

Temperature Programmed Reduction 

Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) was performed using a Micromeritics AutoChem II 2920 

Chemisorption Analyzer. The TPR experiments were done in a 4% H2/Ar gas mixture at a flow rate of 

50 cm3

. The sample was heated from 25 to 1000 °C at a ramp rate of 10 °C/min. The change in hydrogen 

was monitored by a thermal conductivity detector. The data is ploted as the TCD signal versus a change 

in temperature. 

Scanning Electron Microscopy With Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy 

Catalysts were analyzed using a Hitachi S-3000N scanning electron microscope (SEM) for imaging 

and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) on EDAX Falcon to determine surface properties and 

elemental composition. The samples were loaded onto copper tape on the sample holder and then placed 

in the specimen stage where it would be evacuated to a high vacuum range of about 10–6 torr. The 

electron images were taken with an electron beam of 25.0 keV and viewed at various levels of 

magnification with a working distance of 14–25 mm. The elemental composition data was obtained by 

using SEM Quant ZAF microanalysis software in conjunction with the AMETEK- EDAX (EDAX, Inc., 

Mahwah, New Jersey) detecting unit, which uses a silicon drift detector for EDS. 

Inductively Coupled Plasma—Optical Emission Spectroscopy 

Samples were sent out to Galbraith Laboratories for confirmation of elemental analysis by inductively 

coupled plasma—optical emission spectroscopy. This technique is used for the quantitative detection of 

trace metals in a sample. The catalyst is digested in a mixture of nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid and hydrochloric acid, and then heated to 100 °C overnight (Ref. 11). The solution is then introduced to the plasma 

with a nebulizer in flowing argon carrier gas. This technique detects the emission of photons from each 

element as the atoms are relaxed to ground state energies. The ICP-OES was used to validate the metal 

loadings on the support for the cobalt and the noble metal promoters. This data is included in Table 1. 
NASA/TM—2012-217402 5

Results and Discussion 

The preparations of the different catalysts were initially based on a description in a U.S. patent by 

Espinoza et al. (Ref. 10). and later modified by Jacobs et al. (Ref. 12). The initial phase catalysts were 

synthesized by combining the cobalt and the alumina in a beaker and allowing it to stir for 2 hr. The 

solution was then dried on a rotary evaporator, washed in water, re-dried in the rotary evaporator, further 

dried overnight at 150 °C, and finally calcined at 230 °C in dry air for 2 hr (Ref. 13). If a promoter was to 

be added, it would be added after calcination and then the sample would be re-calcined. Initial 

characterization of these catalysts revealed that the target weight percentage of the catalyst were not 

constant. Most samples lost over 50% of the cobalt in the washing procedure. While high dispersion was 

achieved, loss of material made this procedure undesirable to making successful catalyst. In improving 

the consistency and reproducibility of the catalyst synthesis, a more established method of slurry and 

incipient wetness impregnation was employed. Slurry impregnation was used when adding the cobalt to 

the bare alumina support. By dividing the cobalt into two batches and drying the catalyst between 

impregnations, we were able to maximize the amount of cobalt that was deposited into the pores of the 

alumina, thus improving our yield and dispersion. This method proved to be reliable as shown by the 

elemental analysis data in Table 1. 

To this point, over 25 samples of heterogeneous Co on alumina catalyst materials have been prepared 

with different loadings of Co, various levels of dispersion, and different promoters at different loadings. 

Physi- and chemi-soprtion data are included in Table 1. While we are just beginning to run these catalysts 

in the recently-commissioned Fischer-Tropsch CSTR facility, other characteristic techniques allow us to 

make preliminary conclusions as to the capability of the catalyst. 

BET surface analysis has allowed us to correlate the surface area of the catalyst as cobalt and 

promoters are added. This data is displayed in Figure 1. It is established that the cobalt metal fills the 

pores of the alumina support (Ref. 14). This would lead to a reduction of the surface area of the originally 

200 m2

/g alumina support. This indeed was proven as the surface area was reduced to 127 m2/g by adding 

cobalt alone. When adding promoters to the catalyst, one would expect the pores to be mostly filled with 

the cobalt, thereby leaving the noble metals to sit on the surface. This was only proven to be true of the 

0.5% Nickel sample. All other samples exhibited a reduction in surface area. This implies that the cobalt 

did not entirely fill the pores and the promoter metals did fall into the available space. It is expected that 

the higher the surface area of the catalyst, the better the catalytic activity in the FT reactor to produce fuel. 

However, this has not been established to date. Further studies on this are currently being pursued. 

Figure 1.—Surface area of catalyst with varying promoter concentration. 

The change in surface area in m2

/g is displayed with the various cobalt 

on alumina with promoters and their concentrations as well as a sample 

of cobalt on alumina without a promoter for reference. 

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Surface Area, m2/g

Promoter Concentration, %
NASA/TM—2012-217402 6

Figure 2.—TPR of cobalt on alumina promoted with 

0.5% Pt. 4% hydrogen in argon was used and a 

temperature ramp up to 800 °C at 10 °C/min. 

Figure 3.—Reducibility of catalyst with promoters. 25% Co on alumina with 

various noble metal promoters and their concentrations are represented. 

Studies on these catalysts using temperature programmed reduction allowed us to monitor the activity 

of the catalyst in a blended gas of 4% H2 in argon. Various peaks are typically seen on a cobalt on 

alumina sample. A lower temperature peak (around 200 °C) is indicative of nitrate coming off the surface. 

This gives direct evidence of the success of the calcination procedure. In Figure 2, a small shoulder is 

seen at about 210 °C. In our experiments, it has been shown that completely removing all traces of nitrate 

from the catalyst is not worth the effort. The peak at 310 °C represents the reduction of CoO to cobalt 

metal. This is the reaction that activates the catalyst to be used in the Fischer-Tropsch reactors. Our data, 

as seen if Figure 3, shows that Ru and Pt are better promoters than Ag, Ni, and Mn, as determined by 

lower reduction temperature in TPR. 

By lowering the temperature at which the catalyst is reduced, the conditions of the activation for 

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis are more straightforward. The goal of adding promoters is to be able to reduce 

the activation temperature by adding the least amount of noble metal. The cost of these metals plays an 

important role in choosing the metal and the quantity used. It has been established that platinum is of the 

greatest benefit to FT catalysts (Ref. 14). However, it’s extremely high costs make it an undesirable promoter. Ruthenium is less expensive and has proven to provide a similar decrease in reduction temperature. 

Promoters can also aide in the dispersion of metal upon the alumina support. In order to document this, 

transmission electron microscopy needs to be explored; we currently are investigating this issue. 

0.08

0.1

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.2

0.22

0.24

0 200 400 600 800

TCD Signal (a.u.)

Temperature (°C)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

No 

Promoter

Ag 0.5 Mn 0.5 Ni 0.5 Ru 0.5 Pt 0.5 Ru 1.0

Reduction Temperature, °C

Noble Metal Promoter Concentration, %
NASA/TM—2012-217402 7

Additionally a concurrent study was performed to minimize the amount of cobalt needed on the 

surface. This study is in the preliminary stages and more samples are currently being synthesized. Surface 

area measurements, as shown in Table 2, demonstrate that addition of a promoter reduces the surface 

area. This indicates that the noble metals are becoming imbedded in the alumina pores. There was no real 

difference between the 25% cobalt and the 15% cobalt, with or without promoter. Through this one can 

conclude that the additional cobalt does not add value to the catalyst and thus the FT reaction. Further 

studies in the Alternative Fuels Laboratory are being done for more conclusive results. 

The topographical SEM images provide a convenient method to monitor the morphology of the 

catalyst surface. The surface appears smooth with evenly dispersed particles. The shape and size of the 

catalysts particles are typically spherical and less than 50 μm in diameter. The data reveals that there is a 

correlation between the abundance of Co retained on the Al2O3 support and the method in which the Co is 

loaded onto the support. The method of two separate cobalt impregnations and avoiding excessive 

washing of catalyst seemed to produce a fine powder catalyst, which is recommended in order to obtain 

better cobalt dispersion on the surface of the alumina support. Figures 4 to 6 represent various cobalt 

catalysts with different levels of magnification. The detail here shows the evenly dispersed particles. 

TABLE 2.—FT CATALYST WITH VARYING CO LOADING 

[Co on alumina support.] 

Sample 

number 

Co loading, 

percent 

Promoter, 

percent 

ICP 

elemental 

analysis 

Surface 

area, 

m2

/g 

Reduction 

temperature, 

°C 

1 25 No promoter 127.135 350 

2 15 No promoter 14.3 122.98 351 

4 25 Mn 0.5 25.7/0.592 103.17 366 

9 15 Mn 0.5 13.8/0.572 101.01 354 

10 15 Pd 0.5 14.1/0.429 111.37 229 

 

Figure 4.—SEM image of 1.0% Ru and 25% 

Co on Alumina. 100 magnification, catalyst 

made by slurry impregnation. 

Figure 5.—SEM image of 0.5% Mn and 25% Co 

on Alumina. 180 magnification, catalyst made 

by slurry impregnation. 

Figure 6.—SEM image of 0.5% Ru and 

25% Co on Alumina. 350 magnification, 

catalyst made by slurry impregnation. 
NASA/TM—2012-217402 8

The catalysts were also analyzed for elemental weight composition via EDS. The percent of 

aluminum is directly related to the amount of γ-Al2O3 present in the catalysts. However, the percent of 

oxygen could be attributed to the presence of γ-Al2O3, CoO, or Co3O4 (Ref. 15). It is important to note 

that the percent of cobalt is representative of the amount of cobalt that has been deposited on the alumina 

support, which indicates that we have successfully synthesized Co/ γ-Al2O3 FT catalysts. The analysis for 

the promoter shows a range between 1.0 to 2.9%. EDS detected other components in the catalyst sample 

that were not in the experimental design and are probably impurities or chemical similarities of the 

components in the characterization. Representative spectra are shown in Figures 7 and 8. 

Figure 7.—EDS Spectrum of 0.5% Mn and 25% Co on Alumina. 

Figure 8.—EDS Spectrum of 0.5% Ru and 25% Co on Alumina. 

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1

4181

121161201241281321361401441481521561601641681721761801841881921961

Co

Co

Mn

Al

O

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

1

4181

121161201241281321361401441481521561601641681721761801841881921961

Co

Co

Al

Ru

O
NASA/TM—2012-217402 9

Conclusions 

Our characterizations verify that the synthesis of Co/ γ-Al2O3 catalysts for FT process is achievable at 

relatively low temperatures and mild reaction conditions. Since heterogeneous catalysis is a surface 

phenomenon, it is apparent that the extent of surface area of a solid will affect its catalytic activity 

because of the variation in the number of catalytic sites (Ref. 12). However, it is not obvious how the 

specific activity of a catalyst, such as the activity per surface site or per unit surface area, will depend on 

its state of dispersion. 

EDS identified the composition of the catalyst but did not determine the precise target value due to 

the presence of impurities which affected the total percent of the sample components and to the necessity 

of correction factors. ICP resulted in more accurate values that were closer to the target values. The nickel 

promoted catalyst has the highest specific surface area followed by 1% Ruthenium. Additional 

experiments are necessary to elucidate precisely how each promoter is deposited on the surface. 

Future work also involves the activation of the catalysts in the FT reactors located in the Alternative 

Fuels Research Laboratory to determine which promoter enhances the conversion of synthesis gas (CO 

and H2) to hydrocarbons. The data collected here will be used to elucidate the effects of dispersion on the 

catalytic activity of Co/γ-Al2O3 catalysts used for Fischer-Tropsch conversion (synthesis).

Clearly there are different issues surrounding non-petroleum feedstocks for aviation and terrestrial 

transportation fuels and ISRU processing of fuels to contribute to space exploration. However, whether 

the feedstocks for green aerospace fuels are syn-gas, common concerns to be addressed include: 

elimination and handling of (hazardous) by-products, energy efficiency and utilization, processing 

equipment reliability, overall cost effectiveness, and suitability for integration into a particular mission or 

application. 

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NASA/TM—2012-217402 10

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Fischer-Tropsch Catalyst for Aviation Fuel Production 

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De La Ree, Ana, B.; Best, Lauren, M.; Bradford, Robyn, L.; Gonzalez-Arroyo, Richard; 

Hepp, Aloysius, F. 

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field 

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14. ABSTRACT

As the oil supply declines, there is a greater need for cleaner alternative fuels. There will undoubtedly be a shift from crude oil to nonpetroleum sources as a feedstock for aviation (and other transportation) fuels. The Fischer-Tropsch process uses a gas mixture of carbon 

monoxide and hydrogen which is converted into various liquid hydrocarbons; this versatile gas-to-liquid technology produces a complex 

product stream of paraffins, olefins, and oxygenated compounds such as alcohols and aldehydes. The Fischer-Tropsch process can produce a 

cleaner diesel oil fraction with a high cetane number (typically above 70) without any sulfur and aromatic compounds. It is most commonly 

catalyzed by cobalt supported on alumina, silica, or titania or unsupported alloyed iron powders. Cobalt is typically used more often than 

iron, in that cobalt is a longer-active catalyst, has lower water-gas shift activity, and lower yield of modified products. Promoters are 

valuable in improving Fischer-Tropsch catalyst as they can increase cobalt oxide dispersion, enhance the reduction of cobalt oxide to the 

active metal phase, stabilize a high metal surface area, and improve mechanical properties. Our goal is to build up the specificity of the 

Fischer-Tropsch catalyst while adding less-costly transition metals as promoters; the more common promoters used in Fischer-Tropsch 

synthesis are rhenium, platinum, and ruthenium. In this report we will describe our preliminary efforts to design and produce catalyst 

materials to achieve our goal of preferentially producing C8 to C18 paraffin compounds in the NASA Glenn Research Center Gas-ToLiquid processing plant. Efforts at NASA Glenn Research Center for producing green fuels using non-petroleum feedstocks support both the 

Sub-sonic Fixed Wing program of Fundamental Aeronautics and the In Situ Resource Utilization program of the Exploration Technology 

Development and Demonstration program. 

15. SUBJECT TERMS

Catalysis; Fischer-Tropsch process; Synthesis (chemistry); Synthetic fuels; Clean fuels; Noble metals; Transition metals 

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