Provision of sustainable transportation fuels is required for the energetic transition. A new process is presented for the production of synthetic sulfur free maritime fuel. This fuel is produced by Co-catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) using syngas based on a plasma technology that contains traces of O₂. Gravimetric experiments and steady state measurements with a Co/Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst at low temperature FTS conditions (10–30 bar, 180–230 °C) show that, with H₂ present in the system, the catalyst remains active for FTS, and shows no influence on the distribution of C₂₊-hydrocarbons. O₂ is only converted to H₂O and CO₂ in varying proportions (H₂O: 70–80%, CO₂: 20–30%), whereby a higher CO concentration increases the CO₂ selectivity. This work may wield a new CO₂ source for carbon-neutral fuels.

We report on the synthesis of amphiphobic surface-active ionic liquids (FSAILs) containing fluorinated anions. The solubility and aggregation behavior of the FSAILs was determined in both aqueous hydrogen peroxide and in organic media. The FSAILs were applied as temperature-controlled micellar and phase transfer epoxidation catalysts by mixing the FSAIL with sodium tungstate in aqueous H₂O₂ solution. The epoxidation of cis-cyclooctene with aqueous hydrogen peroxide was studied in terms of catalyst activity, phase behavior and recycling. To deepen insights recycability and phase transfer, especially of the catalytically active species, characteristics of the micellar catalysis were investigated in detail over different reaction time periods. High-resolution ¹H-qNMR reveals a quantitative phase transfer of the FSAILs into the organic phase, while the additive remains in the aqueous phase. Additionally, the present tungsten species also remain fully in the aqueous phase as shown by ICP-MS analysis.

Fischer-Tropsch reactors operated in a steady state suffer from a low pore effectiveness factor and a high methane selectivity caused by internal mass transfer limitations due to the accumulation of long-chain hydrocarbons inside the catalyst pores. Therefore, an alternating process switching between Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) and drainage of the pores by hydrogenolysis is proposed. The periodical cracking of the accumulated waxes within the (partially) filled pores, realized by a switch from syngas (H2, CO) to pure hydrogen, results in a higher overall catalyst productivity and a more favorable product distribution. The influence of temperature and time of FTS on drainage time and product distribution was experimentally investigated at typical temperatures of FT fixed bed processes in a range of 210 to 240°C. Alternating drainage of the pores by hydrogenolysis at a hydrogen partial pressure of just 1 bar leads to an improvement of the rate of CO conversion by up to 90% (240°C, 2 h FTS) and an improvement of even 120% concerning the rate of production of non-methane hydrocarbons (240°C, 2 h FTS).