Fe2O3/ZrO2 catalysts prepared by impregnation and coprecipitation meth
ods were used for catalytic hydrogenation of CO. It was shown that the
structure, reduction behavior of iron species, and catalytic properti
es of the catalysts were obviously affected by the preparation methods
. For the Fe2O3/ZrO2 catalyst prepared by the impregnation method, the
Fischer-Tropsch catalytic activity and the selectivity to light olefi
ns were much higher than those of the corresponding catalyst prepared
by the coprecipitation method, the formation of methane was suppressed
and the selectivity to light olefins was enhanced. Various intermedia
tes formed during the successive steps of reduction of the catalysts w
ere studied by using temperature-programmed reduction combined with in
situ Mossbauer spectroscopy. The role of zirconia in the catalysts wa
s discussed.