Improvement of Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis through Structuring on Different Scales

Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis is a complex three-phase system with demanding requirements towards heat and mass transfer and may play an important role for future energy systems. The intensification of this process to exploit its maximum potential is only possible if the catalyst and reactor scale are considered at the same time. Thus, this Review addresses new concepts for improvement with an emphasis on originality as well as feasibility for the low-temperature FT synthesis with cobalt catalysts as an example. The concepts are presented with respect to their impact on intensification and classified by the characteristic length scales at which they apply. On this basis, the single concepts are set in context for illustration of the overall improvement potential through a multiscale approach. The aim of this review is to propose a holistic view on the improvement of catalysts and reactors, which might also be transferred to other systems.