Method for activating and regenerating catalyst for a fischer-tropsch synthesis reaction

A method for regenerating a reduced activity catalyst for the conversion of a synthesis gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen into liquid hydrocarbon products;

• in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor the catalyst containing a catalytic metal selected from the group consisting essential of cobalt and nickel supported on a refractory metal oxide support selected from the group consisting of alumina, silica, titanium oxide and carbon;
• the method consisting essentially of:
• (a) contacting the reduced activity catalyst with a hydrogen-containing gas at a temperature from about 100° C. to 300° C.;
• (b) oxidizing the reduced activity catalyst by contacting the reduced activity catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas at a temperature from about 100 to 275° C. to produce an oxidized catalyst;
• and,
• (c) contacting the oxidized catalyst with a hydrogen-containing gas at a space velocity from about 100 to about 3000 N liter per hour per liter of catalyst at a temperature from about 100 to 300° C. to produce an activated regenerated catalyst.

A method for the conversion of a synthesis gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen to liquid hydrocarbon products by contacting the synthesis gas at a temperature from about 100° C. to 275° C. with an activated catalyst consisting essential of a catalyst metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel supported on a refractory metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alumina, silica, titanium oxide and carbon in a Fischer-Tropsch reactor;

• the method consisting essential of:
• (a) depositing a catalyst precursor in the Fischer-Tropsch reactor selected from the group consisting of oxidized cobalt and oxidized nickel supported on the refractory metal oxide support;
• (b) activating the supported catalyst precursor in the Fischer-Tropsch reactor the supported catalyst being activated by contacting the supported catalyst precursor with a hydrogen-containing gas at a temperature from about 100° C. up to about 300° C. and at a space velocity from about 100 to about 3000 Nliters per liter of supported catalyst precursor to produce the activated catalyst;
• and,
• (c) contacting the synthesis gas with the activated catalyst at conversion conditions to produce the liquid hydrocarbon products in a fixed bed Fischer-Tropsch reactor or slurry bed Fischer-Tropsch reactor.