Light olefins, including ethylene, propylene, and butylene, are essential building blocks in the chemical industry due to their reactive carbon double bonds that can be opened up to form longer polymer chains. Olefins—also known as alkenes—are widely used in the production of plastics, synthetic rubber, and fine chemicals.
Fischer–Tropsch synthesis uses syngas—a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H 2 )—to form hydrocarbons. Olefins are a potential product of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, but achieving high efficiency and selectivity for their production using this method has been a challenge.
To address this challenge, a research team led by Prof. SUN Jian from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has proposed a hydroxyl-induced cobalt oxide catalytic strategy that enables the efficient conversion of syngas to light olefins through Fischer–Tropsch synthesis.
The study was published in Nature on April 1.
The researchers focused on the dynamic evolution of catalyst structures under reaction conditions. By introducing selected hydroxy-promoters into a sodium-cobalt-manganese catalyst system, they constructed a hydroxyl-rich reaction interface that induced the formation of low-symmetry, anorthic cobalt-manganese (Co-Mn) composite oxides, which were more active for CO activation than more symmetrical oxide structures. These oxide species were found to play a key role in promoting CO activation.
As a result, the catalyst achieved 70–82% CO conversion with light olefins selectivity exceeding 60% at 250–260 °C and 0.1 MPa, with H₂/CO ratios ranging from 1 to 2—a range suitable for olefin production. The corresponding carbon utilization efficiency for light olefins reached up to 13%.
Structural characterizations and mechanistic studies revealed that hydroxyl promoters suppressed the excessive reduction and carburization of the catalyst, stabilizing the active oxide phase and facilitating hydrogen-assisted CO activation. Meanwhile, neighboring carbide-related sites contributed to subsequent C–C coupling, enabling efficient olefin formation.
This work demonstrates that oxide-dominated active structures, induced and stabilized by hydroxyl species, can efficiently promote key reaction steps in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. The findings provide new experimental evidence for understanding the dynamic evolution of multiphase active structures in CO/CO₂ catalytic conversion and offer a new strategy for designing high-performance catalysts for syngas-to-olefins processes.
"By revealing a constructive role of hydroxyl species in CO activation, our study opens new opportunities for advancing Fischer–Tropsch catalysis and developing more energy-efficient and flexible routes for carbon resource utilization," said Prof. SUN, corresponding author of the study.
Nature
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Hydroxy-induced cobalt oxides for syngas to light olefins
1-Apr-2026