Deactivation studies of Co/CNTs catalyst in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

•Characterization of Co/CNT catalyst.•Activity evaluation of FTS reaction by Co/CNT catalyst.•Activity evaluation of FTS reaction by Co/CNT catalyst after regeneration.

Deactivation of cobalt-based Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) catalysts has been previously postulated. Most of the cobalt catalysts used in industrial processes deactivate with time. Catalysts deactivation is governed by several factors and the three most important are coke formation, sintering and contamination. Regeneration can restore activity more or less efficiently and has the benefit of eliminating the two first causes of deactivation. The present study relates generally to methods for regeneration of spent cobalt catalyst supported on carbon nanotubes (CNT) and investigation of coke removal and regeneration effects on catalyst activities. The catalyst regenerated by oxidation and hydrogenation after about 400 h. The main objective of this investigation is to determine the best method for coke removal and activity recovery of cobalt catalysts.