Oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene over Fe promoted Co–Mo/Al_2O_3 and Ni–Mo/Al_2O_3 catalysts using hydrogen peroxide and formic acid as oxidants

This work reports the enhancing effect of a highly cost effective and efficient metal, Fe, incorporation to Co or Ni based Mo/Al_2O_3 catalysts in the oxidative desulfurization(ODS) of dibenzothiophene(DBT) using H_2O_2 and formic acid as oxidants. The influence of operating parameters i.e. reaction time, catalyst dose, reaction temperature and oxidant amount on oxidation process was investigated. Results revealed that 99% DBT conversion was achieved at 60 °C and 150 min reaction time over Fe–Ni–Mo/Al_2O_3. Fe tremendously enhanced the ODS activity of Co or Ni based Mo/Al_2O_3 catalysts following the activity order: Fe–Ni–Mo/Al_2O_3 NFe–Co–Mo/Al_2O_3 NNi–Mo/Al_2O_3 NCo–Mo/Al_2O_3, while H_2O_2 exhibited higher oxidation activity than formic acid over all catalyst systems. Insight about the surface morphology and textural properties of fresh and spent catalysts were achieved using scanning electron microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), energy dispersive X-ray(EDX)analysis, Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy(AAS) and BET surface area analysis, which helped in the interpretation of experimental data. The present study can be deemed as an effective approach on industrial level for ODS of fuel oils crediting to its high efficiency, low process/catalyst cost, safety and mild operating condition.     

Oxidative desulfurization of simulated light fuel oil and untreated kerosene

An experimental investigation was conducted on the oxidative desulfurization of model sulfur compounds such as dibenzothiophene and benzothiophene in toluene as a simulated light fuel oil with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant and various acids as the catalyst. The influences of various parameters including reaction temperature (T), acid to sulfur molar ratio (Acid/S), oxidant to sulfur molar ratio (O/S), type of acid, and the presence of sodium tungstate and commercial activated carbon as a co-catalyst on the fractional conversion of the model sulfur compounds were investigated. The experimental data obtained were used to determine the reaction rate constant of the model sulfur compounds and the corresponding activation energy. Moreover, the adsorption of model sulfur compounds on the commercial activated carbons supplied by Jacobi Co. (Sweden, AquaSorb 101) was studied and the effects of different parameters such as temperature, and various chemical treatments on the adsorption of the sulfur compounds were investigated. Furthermore, the oxidative desulfurization of untreated kerosene with the total sulfur content of 1700 ppmw produced by an Iranian refining company (Isfahan refinery) was successfully investigated. These experiments were performed using formic acid as the catalyst and hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant at the mild operating conditions of T = 50 °C, O/S = 5, and the Acid/S = 10. It was realized that about 87% of the total sulfur content of untreated kerosene could be removed after 30 min oxidation followed by liquid–liquid extraction.     

Oxidative desulfurization of Gas oil by polyoxometalates catalysts

Several polyoxometalates: Na₂HPM₁₂O₄₀, H₃PM₁₂O₄₀, Na₂HPM₁₂O₄₀, (VO)H[PM₁₂O₄₀] and (n-Bu₄N)₃[PM₁₂O₄₀] (M = Mo and W) as well as (n-Bu₄N)_3 + x[PW_12−xV_xO₄₀] (x = 0–3) were synthesized and characterized. Benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyl-dibenzothiophene were used as model sulfur compounds in gas oil. The oxidation reaction was performed using different polyoxometalates as catalyst and H₂O₂/acetic acid. The experimental results show that the W-based polyoxometalate catalysts are more active than the Mo catalysts. The oxidation reactivity of the catalysts depends on the type of countercation: Na⁺ > H⁺ > (VO)⁺ > (n-Bu₄N)⁺. In a series of (n-Bu₄N)_3 + x [PW_12−xV_xO₄₀] (x = 0–3) the order of catalytic activity is V₃ > V₂ > V₁ > V₀. The reactivity order of the sulfur compounds is: dibenzothiophene > 4,6-dimethyldibenzo-thiophene > benzothiophene. The catalytic system in this work was used for the oxidation of gas oil combined with solvent extraction to remove sulfur content in gas oil. Under mild reaction condition, high sulfur removal up to 98% can be achieved with high oil recovery (90%).     

Oxidation of dibenzothiophene by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of bis(acetylacetonato)oxovanadium(IV)

In the presence of bis(acetylacetonato)oxovanadium(IV), dibenzothiophene was oxidized by hydrogen peroxide to form sulfoxide and sulfone products. The percentage of dibenzothiophene remaining after the oxidation and the ratio of these oxidation products, as determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, was largely dependent on the solvent used. Reactions in acetonitrile consumed more than 99% of the dibenzothiophene in the reaction and yielded the sulfone as the major product. The efficacy of biphasic oxidations performed in heptane and acetonitrile were dependent on the ratio of acetonitrile to heptane with a higher proportion of acetonitrile resulting in greater consumption of dibenzothiophene. After multiple oxidations, all of the dibenzothiophene was removed from the heptane solution.     

Deep desulfurization of diesel via peroxide oxidation using phosphotungstic acid as phase transfer catalyst

High sulfur level in diesel fuel has been identified as a major contributor to air pollutant in term of sulfur dioxide (SO_x) through diesel fueled vehicles. The main aim of the present work is to develop a promising methodology for ultra deep desulfurization of diesel fuel using oxidation followed by phase transfer of oxidized sulfur. Experiments were carried out in a batch reactor using n-decane as the model diesel compound and also using commercial diesel feedstock. To remove sulfur tetraoctylammonium bromide, phosphotungstic acid, and hydrogen peroxide were used as phase transfer agent, catalyst and oxidant respectively. The percent sulfur removal increases with increasing the initial concentration of sulfur in fuel and with increasing the reaction temperature. Similar trends were observed when commercial diesel was used to carry out desulfurization studies. The amphiphilic catalyst serves as a catalyst and also as an emulsifying agent to stabilize the emulsion droplets. The effects of temperature, agitation speed, quantity of catalyst and the phase transfer agent were studied to estimate the optimal conditions for the reactions. The sulfur removal from a commercial diesel by phase transfer catalysis has been found effective and removal efficiency was more than 98%. Kinetic experiments carried out for the desulfurization revealed that the sulfur removal results are best fitted to a pseudo first order kinetics and the apparent activation energy of desulfurization was 30.6 kJ/mol.     

Enhanced Oxidative Desulfurization of Dibenzothiophene by Functional Mo‐Containing Mesoporous Silica

Functional mesoporous Mo–SiO₂ materials were synthesized by a one‐pot and facile room‐temperature procedure, and characterized by X‐ray diffraction, TEM, Raman spectroscopy, FT‐IR, diffuse reflectance spectra, and BET analysis. The experimental results demonstrated that the mesoporous materials presented a high dispersion of molybdenum species and excellent catalytic activity for the removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT) without organic solvents as extractants. The catalytic performance on different sulfur‐containing compounds was also investigated in detail. After recycling for eight times, the removal of the oxidation desulfurization system could still reach high values. GC‐MS analysis detected the oxidation product of DBT. A mechanism was proposed for the absorptive oxidation process of sulfur compounds.     

Kinetic behaviour of iron oxide sorbent in hot gas desulfurization

Although a number of reports on sorbents containing ZnO for H₂S removal from coal-derived gases can be found in the literature, it is shown in our study that a special sorbent containing Fe₂O₃·FeO (SFO) with minor promoters (Al₂O₃, K₂O, and CaO) as the main active species is more attractive for both sulfidation and regeneration stages, also under economic considerations. This paper presents the kinetic behaviour of SFO in a hot gas desulfurization process using a thermogravimetric analysis under isothermal condition in the operating range between 500 and 800 °C. The gas stream was N₂ with a 2% wt of H₂S. Experiences carried out on sorbent sulfidation with SFO (particle sizes in the range of 0.042-0.12 mm) indicate that the sorbent sulfidation capacity sharply increases with temperature in the range of 500-600 °C. It is also shown that the sample weight reaches its maximum absorption capacity, near saturation, at 600 °C so that it makes no sense to increase the sulfidation temperature from this point. To make a comparison between SFO and a zinc titanate based sorbent, a set of sulfidation tests was carried out at 600 °C during 7200 s using the same sieve range for both sorbents between 42 and 90 μm. Results show that the sulfidation capacity of SFO is 1.9 times higher than that of zinc titanate.     

Oxidative Desulfurization of Hydrocarbon Fuels

New requirements for very low sulfur content (10 ppm) in liquid motor fuels demand novel approaches for ultra-deep desulfurization. For production of near-zero-sulfur diesel and low-sulfur fuel oil, removal of refractory sulfur compounds, like 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene and other alkyl-substituted thiophene derivatives, is necessary. Elimination of these compounds by hydrodesulfurization (HDS) requires high hydrogen consumption, high pressure equipment, and new catalysts. Various oxidative desulfurization processes, including recent advances in this field for diesel fuels, and the drawbacks of this technology in comparison with HDS are examined and discussed. It is shown that the oxidation of sulfur compounds to sulfones with hydrogen peroxide allows for production of diesel fuels with a sulfur content of 10 ppmw or lower at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The gas phase oxidative desulfurization of sulfur compounds with air or oxygen is feasible at atmospheric pressure and higher temperatures: 90–300 °С and offers better economic solutions and incentives.     

Oxidative desulfurization of diesel fuel using amphiphilic quaternary ammonium phosphomolybdate catalysts

Phosphomolybdic acid (HPMo) modified respectively with tetramethyl ammonium chloride (TMAC), dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DTAC) and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (HTAC) as the catalysts were prepared and characterized by FT-IR, XRD and SEM. The catalysts were evaluated for the oxidative desulfurization of benzothiophene (BT), dibenzothiophene (DBT) and straight-run diesel using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant. Results show that all of the catalysts keep the Keggin structures and are finely dispersed with mixing of quaternary ammonium salts. Hexadecyl chains are more favorable to wrap up DBT to the catalytic center and form stable emulsion system with higher conversion rates of DBT. The shorter dodecyl chains can wrap up BT more suitably and bring smaller steric hindrance, which display higher conversion rates of BT. The oxidative reactions fit apparent first-order kinetics, and the apparent activation energies of DBT are much lower than those of BT. The desulfurization rate of straight-run diesel can be up to 84.4% with the recovery rate of 98.1% catalyzed by [HPMo][HTAC]₂ in 2 h. When increasing the extraction times, the desulfurization rates increase, but the recovery rates of diesel decrease significantly.     

负载金属氧化物分子筛催化氧化模拟汽油的脱硫研究

A simulated gasoline consisting of model sulfur compounds of thiophene （C4H4S） and 3-methythiophene （3-MC4H4S） dissolved in n-heptane was tested for the oxidative desulfurization in the hydrogen peroxide （H202） and formic acid oxidative system over metal oxide-loaded molecular sieve. The effects of the oxidative system, loaded metal oxides, phase transfer catalyst, the addition of olefin and aromatics on sulfur removal were investigated in details. The results showed that the sulfur removal rate of simulated gasoline in the H202/formic acid system was higher than in other oxidative systems. The cerium oxide-loaded molecular sieve was found very active catalyst for oxidation of simulated gasoline in this system. The sulfur removal rates of C4H4S and 3-MC4H4S were enhanced when phase transfer catalyst （PTC） was added. However, the sulfur removal rate of simulated gasoline was reduced with the addition of olefin and aromatics.     

柴油脱硫技术的研究进展

对目前清洁燃料油的生产技术进行了概述.随着世界清洁柴油中含硫标准的提高,降低柴油中硫含量已成为全球性关注的问题.近几年,出现了许多新的脱硫技术,其中柴油非加氢脱硫技术的研究进展较快.介绍了氧化脱硫和非氧化脱硫技术的理论基础,重点概述了这方面取得的最新成果,并从清洁生产的角度出发,对柴油脱琉技术的发展进行了辰望.     

Electrochemical reduction of oxygen with iron phthalocyanine in neutral media

Recent interest in electricity production using microbial fuel cells makes it important to better understand O₂ reduction in neutral solutions with non-precious metal catalysts. Higher O₂ reduction activity was obtained using iron phthalocyanine supported on Ketjen black carbon (FePc-KJB) than with a platinum catalyst in neutral pH. At low overpotentials, a Tafel slope close to −0.06 V/dec in both acid and neutral pH suggested that the mechanism of O₂ reduction on FePc is not changed with the change of pH, and the reaction is mainly controlled by Fe^II/Fe^III redox couple. This behaviour gives us new insight into catalysis using FePc, and further supports the use of FePc as a promising catalyst for the oxygen reduction applications in neutral media.     

Microbial desulfurization of dibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene in dodecane and straight-run diesel oil

The desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT), 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) and their mixture by lyophilized cells ofPseudomonas delafieldii R-8 was studied in the presence of dodecane. The desulfurization rate for 4,6-DMDBT was found to be about 40% in comparison with that for DBT. The desulfurization process for DBT and 4,6-DMDBT proceeded simultaneously without preference for either one. The desulfurization rate for each compound was decreased when they were mixed together. The extent of desulfurization of 4,6-DMDBT was increased with the increase of cell concentration and the decrease of the volume ratio of oil-to-water used. The specific desulfurization rate for 4,6-DMDBT could be reached to 10.4 mmol sulfur kg⁻¹ (cell) h⁻¹ [approximately 0.33 mg sulfur g⁻¹ (cell) h⁻¹].Pseudomonas delafieldii R-8 showed high desulfurization capability for straight-run diesel oil (containing 1,807 mg/L of sulfur). About 1,000 mg/L of sulfur in diesel oil was removed by resting cells of this strain in 24 h of reaction. The specific desulfurization rate was 8.75 mmol sulfur kg⁻¹ (cell) h⁻¹.     

催化汽油氧化及萃取脱硫的反应条件研究

催化汽油氧气氧化及萃取脱硫的实验结果表明,随着催化剂用量增加、氧气分压增大、氧化温度提高、氧化时间延长,汽油脱硫率均持续增大,而汽油收率逐渐降低.对脱硫率和收率影响程度从大到小的顺序均为氧化温度＞催化剂用量＞氧气分压＞氧化时间.随着催化剂水溶液重复使用次数增加,汽油脱硫率呈现先降低然后趋于稳定,而汽油收牢先增人后趋于不变.催化汽油经过催化剂用量3.0 g、温度140℃、氧气分压2.0 MPa、时间40 min条件的氧化处理,接着进行水洗及萃取,脱硫率和收率分别为91.57%和67.66%.     

Adsorption removal of thiophene and dibenzothiophene from oils with activated carbon as adsorbent: effect of surface chemistry

Commercial coconut-based activated carbons (AC), before and after being treated using 65 wt% HNO₃ at different temperatures (termed as AC–Hs), were used as adsorbents to remove thiophene (T) or dibenzothiophene (DBT) from model oils. The fresh AC sample and all of the AC–Hs samples were characterized by Boehm titration, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermal analysis, which yield the information of the surface chemistry properties of the carbon materials. The results show that in comparison to the fresh AC sample, the quantity of oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of AC–Hs samples increases as the pretreatment temperature of the fresh AC sample increases. The adsorption capabilities of the AC samples for removal of T and DBT from model oils were evaluated in a batch-type reactor. It has been found that the refractory DBT can be removed easily over the untreated commercial AC with the removal efficiency even being higher than that of T. In the case of acid modified AC–Hs samples, the efficiency for removal of T has been greatly improved, but this is not the case for the removal of DBT. The possible mechanism for adsorption removal of T and DBT over activated carbons is discussed in terms of the quantity of surface oxygen-containing functional groups of adsorbents and the chemical structure of sulfur compounds. The effect of olefin (1-octene) and aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene) in the model oils on the selective adsorption DBT over AC is also evaluated, revealing that in the case of DBT, the competitive adsorption is involved in the process, and the removal efficiency levels off at a level over 80%.     

MOF-505对二苯并噻吩的高效催化氧化脱硫

采用溶剂热法制备了铜基金属有机框架材料（MOF-505），并将其用于二苯并噻吩（DBT）模拟油的萃取氧化脱硫反应中。通过XRD、FTIR、SEM、XPS和N2吸附-脱附表征了其结构和稳定性，考察了MOF-505对DBT的催化氧化脱硫效果，利用HPLC测定含硫量。结果表明，在DBT和乙腈萃取剂体积均为5 m L，催化剂MOF-505用量为25 mg，反应温度为90℃，质量分数为30%的过氧化氢用量为200μL，反应时间为60 min的条件下，MOF-505对DBT的催化氧化脱硫率高达95.50%，对其同系物苯并噻吩（BT）和4,6-二甲基苯并噻吩（4,6-DMDBT）的脱硫率分别达66.88%和78.93%。经6次催化导致脱硫循环后，MOF-505对DBT模拟油的催化氧化脱硫率保持在91%以上，具有良好的循环利用性。     

Oxidative desulfurization of synthetic diesel using supported catalysts: Part II. Effect of oxidant and nitrogen-compounds on extraction–oxidation process

Oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of a synthetic diesel was carried out at mild conditions (atmospheric pressure and 60 °C) in presence of V₂O₅/Al₂O₃ and V₂O₅/TiO₂ catalysts. Two main aspects were studied: the effect of the oxidant reagent and the presence of nitrogen compounds on ODS of benzothiophenic compounds prevailing in diesel, such as benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene and alkyl substituted in positions 4 and 6. Results show that activity is improved when using hydrogen peroxide, as oxidant reagent, and V₂O₅/Al₂O₃, as catalyst. This result was attributed to the high decomposition of peroxide due to the presence of catalyst. In presence of nitrogen compounds, the ODS activity decreases in the order: quinoline > indole > carbazole. In order to explain this effect, successive chemisorption of DBT and quinoline on V₂O₅/Al₂O₃ catalyst was evaluated by FT-IR, and the results show that DBT is displaced by quinoline, occupying the adsorption sites of catalyst. N-compound effect could be explained by strong adsorption of nitrogen compounds on catalytic sites.     

Studies on adsorptive desulfurization by zirconia based adsorbents

This study reports usage of laboratory prepared zirconia samples (normal dried zirconia (ZD383), zirconia calcined at 893 K (ZC893), zirconia sulfated and calcined at 893 K (SZC893)) as adsorbents for the removal of sulfur from model oil (dibenzothiophene, DBT in iso-octane). Bulk densities of adsorbents were found to be in the range of 0.896–0.987 kg/m³. Optimum adsorbent dose was found to be 10 g/l. The adsorption of DBT on zirconia based adsorbents was found to be gradual process with quasi-equilibrium condition reached in 22 h. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) isotherm best represented the equilibrium adsorption data. The heat of adsorption and change in entropy for DBT adsorption onto zirconia based adsorbents were found to be −165.3 (ZD383), −125.5 (ZC893), −96.7 (SZC893) kJ/mol, and −509.9 (ZD383), −379.4 (ZC893), −284.1 (SZC893) J/mol K, respectively.     

Oxidative desulfurization of model and real oil samples using Mo supported on hierarchical alumina-silica: Process optimization by Box-Behnken experimental design

The catalytic performance of Mo supported on hierarchical alumina-silica (Si/Al=15) with Mo loadings of 3, 6 and 15 wt% was investigated for the oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of model and real oil samples. Hierarchical alumina-silica (hAl-Si) was synthesized by economical and ecofriendly silicate-1 seed-induced route using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as mesoporogen. The effect of CTAB on the structure of catalyst was studied by characterization techniques. The results revealed that 6%Mo/hAl-Si had the highest sulfur removal compared to the other catalyst loadings. The effect of operating parameters was evaluated using Box-Behnken experimental design. The optimal desulfurization conditions with the 6%Mo/hAl-Si catalyst were determined at oxidation temperature of 67℃, oxidation time of 42 min, H₂O₂/S molar ratio of 8 and catalyst dosage of 0.008 g·ml^-1 for achieving a conversion of 95%. Under optimal conditions, different sulfur-containing compounds with initial concentration of 1000 ppm, Dibenzothiophene (DBT), Benzothiophene (BT) and Thiophen (Th), showed the catalytic oxidation reactivity in the order of DBT > BT > Th. According to the regeneration experiments, the 6%Mo/hAl-Si catalyst was reused 4 times with a little reduction in the performance. Also, the total sulfur content of gasoline and diesel after ODS process reached 156.6 and 4592.2 ppm, respectively.     

Ti-MCM-41负载酞菁铁光催化氧化脱硫

合成了钛硅分子筛Ti-MCM-41,通过对Ti-MCM-41改性以共价键将带有不同取代基的酞菁铁负载于Ti-MCM-41上制备出Ti-MCM-41负载酞菁铁催化剂,并利用红外光谱、X射线衍射、扫描电镜以及BET氮气吸附-脱附等温线以及紫外-可见吸收光谱对合成的催化剂进行表征。在常温常压下,以Ti-MCM-41负载酞菁铁为光催化剂,空气为氧化剂,己内酰胺四丁基溴化铵离子液体为萃取剂,可见光下催化氧化二苯并噻吩(DBT),采用单一变量法探索该体系的最佳反应条件。结果表明,Ti-MCM-41负载氨基酞菁铁具有较好的光催化活性,且在最佳工艺条件下,DBT的脱除率最高可达95.6%。催化剂重复使用5次后,催化活性没有明显下降。