Abstract: The high dispersed Fe catalyst supported on coal (Fe/C) was synthesized with the deposition-air oxygenation method, and the nickel was then introduced to obtain the Fe-Ni/C catalyst. The crystal structures, micromorphologies, and dispersions of active metals on the surface of coal were analyzed by XRD, HRTEM, and SEM-mapping. Catalytic activities of synthesized catalysts in the co-processing of coal and heavy oil were conducted in an autoclave, and the micromorphologies of solid residues were compared. The experimental results showed that the major active components of Fe/C catalyst contained ɑ-FeOOH and γ-FeOOH, whereas there existed a mixed crystal phase of Fe0.67Ni0.33OOH in Fe-Ni/C catalyst; the uniform distribution of Fe and Ni element on the surface of supported coals was observed. The dry ash-free coal conversion was over 97% for both the catalysts, but the dispersions of the products with Fe-Ni/C catalyst seemed to be more preferable. The comparison of SEM of solid residues indicated that certain amount of globular cokes was formed in the reaction system on Fe/C catalyst, whereas the relative higher hydrogenation activity of Fe-Ni/C catalyst could be beneficial to suppress the condensation and coke formation of intermediates derived from thermal cracking, which resulted in high coal conversion and solid residues having relative smaller particle sizes.

Key words: co-processing of coal and heavy oil, coal suported catalyst, coal conversion based on dry ash-free, hydrogenation activity, solid residue