Completed encapsulation of cobalt particles in mesoporous H-ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst for direct synthesis of middle isoparaffin from syngas

•Completed encapsulation of metal clusters inside mesoporous H-ZSM-5 zeolite•An anti-ASF product distribution was realized over Co/MZ catalyst.•Facilely realizing the direct middle isoparaffin synthesis via FTS reaction.•The shape-selective catalysis was offered by the mesoporous H-ZSM-5 zeolite.•The Co/MZ catalyst exhibited the highest middle isoparaffin selectivity of 34.6%.

The completed encapsulation cobalt clusters inside the channels of mesoporous H-ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst was synthesized using mesoporous carbon as a hard template and evaluated in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) for direct synthesis of middle isoparaffin. The characterization and catalytic performance tests revealed that the acid sites of mesoporous zeolite tuned FTS product distribution. The isoparaffin selectivity of Co/MZ was 34.6% to become the main FTS products because of the optimized hydrocracking and isomerization function of the mesoporous structure of H-ZSM-5 support. The novel route of catalyst preparation, first reported here, can also be extended into other clean fuel synthesis fields.

Graphical abstractA mesoporous H-ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst encapsulating cobalt particles was prepared using mesoporous carbon as a hard template and applied in direct synthesis of middle isoparaffin via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) reaction.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide