Temporal changes of Fischer-Tropsch activity and selectivity using ruthenium

Ruthenium as a catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has been studied for investigating initial selectivity changes and the effect of reaction temperature. At low temperatures and steady state, almost no side reactions such as chain branching and olefin isomerization were obtained, indicating an effective kinetic suppression of these reactions at these conditions, whereas at initial stages of the synthesis, spatial constraints in the kinetic regime still allow for these reactions to take place. In this regard, ruthenium resembles processes of selforganization obtained on catalysts containing cobalt or nickel.