Deviana, student researcher at the Carbon Conversion Laboratory.

Please introduce yourself.

I am Deviana, a Ph. D student, majored in Biomolecular and Chemical Engineering at Yonsei University. My supervisor is Prof. Jinwon Park. I also work as a student researcher at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER). To be specific, my laboratory in KIER is Carbon Conversion Research Laboratory, led by Dr. Dong Hyun Chun. My study is focused on the process and catalyst development of Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis for the production of sustainable liquid fuels.

Please introduce this excellent paper.

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is a promising technology to transform syngas into sustainable and clean liquid fuels (C5-C20). We prepared bifunctional model catalysts by physical mixing, that consist of precipitated iron-based catalysts (P-Fe) as the FTS active sites and H-ZSM-5 as acidic sites. Acidic sites of H-ZSM-5 have an important role in cracking and isomerization reactions for obtaining high selectivity of liquid fuels. The addition of H-ZSM-5 by physical mixing did not alter the activity of P-Fe, but H-ZSM-5 greatly affected the hydrocarbon distribution. We found a linear correlation between the cracking rate and Bronsted acid sites in the bifunctional process of FTS and cracking for the first time. Furthermore, the bifunctional catalysts showed high CO conversion (73-78 %), which compares to the CO conversion obtained from P-Fe (73 %). The highest liquid fuel selectivity was 72 wt%, which is almost twice as much as obtained from P-Fe (35 wt%).

What is the reason or background of the study?

It is well-known that greenhouse gas emissions kept increasing every year. The CO2 from fossil fuels is the highest fraction of greenhouse gas emissions. One of the promising technologies is Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). FTS is able to transform syngas (H2 + CO) into liquid fuels. In order to obtain higher selectivity of liquid fuels, the bifunctional catalysts that consist of FTS catalyst and zeolites can be applied. Zeolite has an acidic function to promote cracking and isomerization reactions.

Is there any episode that you remember during the research process? 

During the research process, I remembered that my KIER supervisor did not satisfy with the results easily and always pushed me to search for the proof of every outcome that I got. I really admired and learned much from him that I cannot give up easily and must keep searching for the answers to every phenomenon, which overall is one of the main conditions to become an outstanding researcher.  

Were there any difficulties or obstacles in your research?

There were always obstacles in my research, but I think this is not only for me but also for every student. The process of writing this paper was quite long and I remembered that sometimes I wanted to give up. However, with guidance from my KIER supervisor and support from my lab mates, I could end the long process of writing this paper.

What are your goals or things you want to do in the future?

For now, my priority is to be able to graduate next year by publishing some papers. After I graduate, I would like to challenge myself to find a job in Korea. Therefore, I also need to level up my Korean skills, particularly in writing and speaking. 

What I want to say last.

I would like to say thank you and give my great appreciation to my KIER supervisor, Dr. Chun, and also my KIER lab mates for always giving me help and support, which made me be able to publish this paper. I will work harder to be an excellent researcher.