Deep HDS over NiMo/Zr-SBA-15 catalysts with varying MoO3 loading

In the present work, with the aim of searching for new, highly effective catalysts for deep HDS, a series of NiMo catalysts with different MoO₃ loadings (6–30 wt.%) was prepared using SBA-15 material covered with ZrO₂-monolayer as a support. Prepared catalysts were characterized by N₂ physisorption, small- and wide-angle XRD, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction, SEM-EDX and HRTEM, and their catalytic activity was evaluated in the 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization (HDS). It was observed that ZrO₂ incorporation on the SBA-15 surface improves the dispersion of the Ni-promoted oxidic and sulfided Mo species, which were found to be highly dispersed, up to 18 wt.% of MoO₃ loading. Further increase in metal charge resulted in the formation of MoO₃ crystalline phase and an increase in the stacking degree of the MoS₂ particles. All NiMo catalysts supported on ZrO₂-modified SBA-15 material showed high activity in HDS of 4,6-DMDBT. The best catalyst having 18 wt.% MoO₃ and 4.5 wt.% NiO was almost twice more active than the reference NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst. High activity of NiMo/Zr-SBA-15 catalysts and its evolution with metal loading was related to the morphological characteristics of the MoS₂ active phase determined by HRTEM.     

HDS and HDN activity of molybdenum and nickel–molybdenum catalysts supported on alumina–titania carriers

Alumina–titania supports containing 5–50 wt.% of TiO₂ were prepared by coprecipitation method using inorganic precursors (sodium aluminate and titanium chloride). DTA-TGA, XRD, SEM, TPD_NH3, and IR spectroscopy were used to characterise these materials. The study shows that the promoting effect of nickel on the HDS activity of molybdenum catalysts supported on Al₂O₃TiO₂ is significantly lower than that for molybdenum catalyst supported on Al₂O₃, and depends on the TiO₂ content. The SEM results show that in the case of rich Al support (20 wt.% of TiO₂) molybdenum was aggregated on the external surface of the catalyst, whereas it was uniformly dispersed on the external surface of alumina. Results also show that molybdenum is preferably supported on aluminum oxide. Application of Al₂O₃TiO₂ oxides enhances the HDN activity of nickel–molybdenum catalysts. The highest HDN efficiency was obtained for the NiMo/Al₂O₃TiO₂ catalyst containing 50 wt.% of TiO₂. HDN activity was found to depend on protonic acidity and anatase content.     

A model catalyst approach to the effects of the support on Co–Mo hydrodesulfurization catalysts

Co–Mo model sulfide catalysts, in which CoMoS phases are selectively formed, were prepared by means of a CVD technique using Co(CO)₃NO as a precursor of Co. It is shown by means of XPS, FTIR and NO adsorption that CoMoS phases form selectively when the Mo content exceeds monolayer loading. A single exposure of MoS₂/Al₂O₃ to a vapor of Co(CO)₃NO at room temperature fills the edge sites of the MoS₂ particles. It is suggested that the maximum potential HDS activity of MoS₂/Al₂O₃ and Co–Mo/Al₂O₃ catalysts can be predicted by means of Co(CO)₃NO as a “probe” molecule. An attempt was made to determine the fate of Co(CO)₃NO adsorbed on MoS₂/Al₂O₃. The effects of the support on Co–Mo sulfide catalysts in HDS and HYD were investigated by use of CVD-Co/MoS₂/support catalysts. XPS and NO adsorption showed that model catalysts can also be prepared for SiO₂-, TiO₂- and ZrO₂-supported catalysts by means of the CVD technique. The thiophene HDS activity of CVD-Co/MoS₂/Al₂O₃, CVD-Co/MoS₂/TiO₂ and CVD-Co/MoS₂/Al₂O₃ is proportional to the amount of Co species interacting with the edge sites of MoS₂ particles or CoMoS phases. It is concluded that the support does not influence the HDS reactivity of CoMoS phases supported on TiO₂, ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃. In contrast, CoMoS phases on SiO₂ show catalytic features characteristic of CoMoS Type II. With the hydrogenation of butadiene, on the other hand, the Co species on MoS₂/TiO₂, ZrO₂ and SiO₂ have the same activity, while the Co species on MoS₂/Al₂O₃ have a higher activity.     

Hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophenes over molybdenum catalyst supported on TiO2–Al2O3

Composite types of TiO₂–Al₂O₃ supports, which are γ-aluminas coated by titania, have been prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), using TiCl₄ as a precursor. Then supported molybdenum catalysts have been prepared by an impregnation method. As supports, we employed γ-alumina, anatase types of titania, and composite types of TiO₂–Al₂O₃ with different loadings of TiO₂. We studied the conversion of Mo from oxidic to sulfidic state through sulfurization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The obtained spectra unambiguously revealed the higher reducibility from oxidic to sulfidic molybdenum species on the TiO₂ and TiO₂–Al₂O₃ supports compared to that on the Al₂O₃ support. Higher TiO₂ loadings of the TiO₂–Al₂O₃ composite support led to higher reducibility for molybdenum species. Furthermore, the catalytic behavior of supported molybdenum catalysts has been investigated for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and methyl-substituted DBT derivatives. The conversion over the TiO₂–Al₂O₃ supported Mo catalysts, in particular for the 4,6-dimethyl-DBT, is much higher than that obtained over Al₂O₃ supported Mo catalyst. The ratio of the corresponding cyclohexylbenzene (CHB)/biphenyl (BP) derivatives is increased over the Mo/TiO₂–Al₂O₃. This indicates that the prehydrogenation of an aromatic ring plays an important role in the HDS of DBT derivatives over TiO₂–Al₂O₃ supported catalysts.     

Comparative evaluation of Fe and TiO2 photoassisted processes in solar photocatalytic disinfection of water

A lost of culturability of bacteria Escherichia coli K12 was observed after exposition to a solar simulator (UV–vis) in a laboratory batch photoreactor. The bacterial inactivation reactions have been carried out using titanium dioxide (TiO₂) P25 Degussa and FeCl₃ as catalysts. At the starting of the treatment, the suspensions were at their “natural” pH. An increase in the efficiency in the water disinfection was obtained when some advanced oxidation processes such as UV–vis/TiO₂, UV–vis/TiO₂/H₂O₂, UV–vis/Fe³⁺/H₂O₂, UV–vis/H₂O₂ were applied. The presence of H₂O₂ accelerates the rate of disinfection via TiO₂. The addition of Fe³⁺ (0.3 mg/l) to photocatalytic system decreases the time required for total disinfection (<1 CFU/ml), for TiO₂ concentrations ranging between 0.05 and 0.5 g/l. At TiO₂ concentrations higher than 0.5 g/l the addition of Fe³⁺ does not significantly increase the disinfection rate. The systems: Fenton (H₂O₂/Fe³⁺/dark), H₂O₂/dark, H₂O₂/TiO₂/dark showed low disinfection rate. The effective disinfection time (EDT₂₄) was reached after 60 and 30 min of illumination for the Fe³⁺ and TiO₂ photoassisted systems, respectively. EDT₂₄ was not reached for the system in the absence of catalyst (UV–vis). The effect on the bacterial inactivation of different mixture of chemical substance added to natural water was studied.     

Maya crude hydrodemetallization and hydrodesulfurization catalysts: An effect of TiO2 incorporation in Al2O3

Hydrotreating of Maya heavy crude oil over high specific surface area CoMo/TiO₂–Al₂O₃ oxide supported catalysts was studied in an integral reactor close to industrial practice. Activity studies were carried out with Maya crude hydrodesulfurization (HDS), hydrodemetallization (HDM), hydrodenitrogenation (HDN), and hydrodeasphaltenization (HDAs) reactions. The effect of support composition, the method of TiO₂ incorporation, and the catalyst deactivation are examined. Supported catalysts are characterized by BET specific surface area (SSA), pore volume (PV), pore size distribution (PSD), and atomic absorption. It has been found that sulfided catalysts showed a wide range of activity variation with TiO₂ incorporation into the alumina, which confirmed that molybdenum sulfided active phases strongly depend on the nature of support. The pore diameter and nature of the active site for HDS, HDM, HDN, and HDAs account for the influence of the large reactant molecules restricted diffusion into the pore, and/or the decrease in the number of active sites due to the MoS₂ phases buried with time-on-stream. The textural properties and hysteresis loop area of supported and spent catalysts indicated that catalysts were deactivated at the pore mouth due to the metal and carbon depositions. The atomic absorption results agreed well regarding the textural properties of spent catalysts. Thus, incorporation of TiO₂ with γ-Al₂O₃ alters the nature of active metal interaction with support, which may facilitate the dispersion of active phases on the support surface. Therefore, the TiO₂ counterpart plays a promoting role to HDS activity due to the favorable morphology of MoS₂ phases and metal support interaction.     

Hydrodesulfurization activity of CoMo and NiMo supported on Al2O3–TiO2 for some model compounds and gas oils

Catalytic activities of Al₂O₃–TiO₂ supporting CoMo and NiMo sulfides (CoMoS and NiMoS) catalysts were examined in the transalkylation of isopropylbenzene and hydrogenation of naphthalene as well as the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of model sulfur compounds, conventional gas oil (GO), and light cycle oil (LCO). Al₂O₃–TiO₂ supporting catalysts exhibited higher activities for these reactions except for the HDS of the gas oil than a reference Al₂O₃ supporting catalyst, indicating the correlation of these activities. Generally, more content of TiO₂ promoted the activities. Inferior activity of the catalyst for HDS of the gas oil is ascribed to its inferior activity for HDS of dibenzothiophene (DBT) in gas oil as well as in model solvent decane, while the refractory 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) in gas oil as well as in decane was more desulfurized on the catalyst. Characteristic features of Al₂O₃–TiO₂ catalyst are discussed based on the paper results.     

Effect of Al and Ti content in HMS material on the catalytic activity of NiMo and CoMo hydrotreating catalysts in the HDS of DBT

Al- and Ti-containing HMS materials, with a Si/M (Me = Al(Ti)) molar ratio equal to 40, were used as supports for preparing NiMo and CoMo HDS catalysts. The supports and catalysts were characterized by N₂ adsorption–desorption (S_BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis diffuse reflectance (DRS UV–vis), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and Raman spectroscopy. The catalysts were tested in the hydrodesulphurization (HDS) reaction of dibenzothiophene (DBT). All supported NiMo and CoMo catalysts on Al-HMS and Ti-HMS substrates showed higher catalytic activity than their Me-free counterparts. We found two interesting correlations between the structure and chemical coordination of the supported oxide precursors and catalytic activity. The differences observed in catalyst performance are attributed to the structure and specific electronic properties of the supported active species. From our results, it appears possible to optimize the Al- and Ti-loading to maximize the HDS activity.     

Hydrotreating of gas oil on SBA-15 supported NiMo catalysts

The siliceous and the metal substituted (B or Al)-SBA-15 molecular sieves were used as a support for NiMo hydrotreating catalysts (12 wt.% Mo and 2.4 wt.% Ni). The supports were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms. The SBA-15 supported NiMo catalysts in oxide state were characterized by BET surface area analysis and XRD. The sulfided NiMo/SBA-15 catalysts were examined by DRIFT of CO adsorption and TPD of NH₃. The HDN and HDS activities with bitumen derived light gas oil at industrial conditions showed that Al substituted SBA-15 (Al-SBA-15) is the best among the supports studied for NiMo catalyst. A series of NiMo catalysts containing 7–22 wt.% Mo with Ni/Mo weight ratio of 0.2 was prepared using Al-SBA-15 support and characterized by BET surface area analysis, XRD and temperature programmed reduction and DRIFT spectroscopy of adsorbed CO. The DRIFT spectra of adsorbed CO showed the presence of both unpromoted and Ni promoted MoS₂ sites in all the catalysts, and maximum “NiMoS” sites concentration with 17 wt.% of Mo loading. The HDN and HDS activities of NiMo/Al-SBA-15 catalysts were studied using light gas oil at temperature, pressure and WHSV of 370 °C, 1300 psig and 4.5 h⁻¹, respectively. The NiMo/Al-SBA-15 catalyst with 17 wt.% Mo and 3.4 wt.% of Ni is found to be the best catalyst. The HDN and HDS activities of this catalyst are comparable with the conventional Al₂O₃ supported NiMo catalyst in real feed at industrial conditions.     

TiO2-coated on Al2O3 support prepared by the CVD method for HDS catalysts

Mo---Co or Mo---Ni catalysts supported on alumina (Al₂O₃) have been widely used for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of heavy petroleum fractions. In order to enhance the catalytic activities for HDS, a composite type support (TiO₂-Al₂O₃) prepared by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method has been studied. We found that Mo catalyst supported on TiO₂-Al₂O₃ showed much higher catalytic activity for HDS of dibenzothiophene derivatives than the catalysts supported on Al₂O₃.     

Effect of phosphorus addition on the hydrotreating activity of NiMo/Al2O3 carbide catalyst

A series of phosphorus promoted γ-Al₂O₃ supported NiMo carbide catalysts with 0–4.5 wt.% P, 13 wt.% Mo and 2.5 wt.% Ni were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, pulsed CO chemisorption, BET surface area measurement, X-ray diffraction, near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure, DRIFT spectroscopy of CO adsorption and H₂ temperature programmed reduction. X-ray diffraction patterns and CO uptake showed the P addition to NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ carbide, increased the dispersion of β-Mo₂C particles. DRIFT spectra of adsorbed CO revealed that P addition to NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ carbide catalyst not only increases the dispersion of Ni-Mo carbide phase, but also changes the nature of surface active sites. The hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) and hydrodesulfurization (HDS) activities of these P promoted NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ carbide catalysts were performed in trickle bed reactor using light gas oil (LGO) derived from Athabasca bitumen and model feed containing quinoline and dibenzothiophene at industrial conditions. The P added NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ carbide catalysts showed enhanced HDN activity compared to the NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts with both the feed stocks. The P had almost no influence on the HDS activity of NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ carbide with LGO and dibenzothiophene. P addition to NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ carbide accelerated CN bond breaking and thus increased the HDN activity.     

柠檬酸引入方式对CoMo/TiO2-Al2O3催化剂加氢脱硫性能的影响

采用改进溶胶-凝胶法制备的TiO_2-Al_2O_3作复合载体,制备不同柠檬酸引入方式改性的CoMo/TiO_2-Al_2O_3加氢脱硫催化剂。利用低温N_2吸附-脱附、XRD、SEM和H_2-TPR等对催化剂进行表征,并采用固定床反应器对催化剂加氢脱硫性能进行评价。结果表明,后处理法制备的催化剂比表面积相对较大,孔道结构较好,活性金属组分以无定形形态均匀分散在载体表面,一定程度上减弱了其与载体间的相互作用;该催化剂可以延缓Co硫化,并且络合生成较多易于硫化还原的Mo物种,利于MoS_2在催化剂表面的堆叠,生成更多的Co-Mo-S(Ⅱ)活性相,因而相应的CoMo催化剂对噻吩加氢脱硫转化率显著提高。     

SBA-15 supports modified by Ti and Zr grafting for NiMo hydrodesulfurization catalysts

A series of Ti- and Zr-containing mesoporous SBA-15 supports and their respective NiMo catalysts were prepared to study the effect of the Ti and Zr loading into the support on the characteristics of Ni and Mo surface species and their catalytic activity in the 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization (HDS). Ti and Zr-containing SBA-15 solids with different metal loading (up to 19 wt.% of TiO₂ or 22 wt.% of ZrO₂) were prepared by chemical grafting. The solids prepared were characterized by N₂ physisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), chemical analysis and HRTEM. The results show that Ti- and Zr-SBA-15 supports with highly dispersed Ti and Zr species can be obtained without substantial loss of SBA-15 characteristics. Zr grafted species showed somewhat better dispersion on the SBA-15 surface than the corresponding Ti counterparts. It was found that TiO₂ and, especially, ZrO₂ incorporation in the SBA-15 support leads to stronger interaction of Mo and Ni species with the support providing better dispersion to the oxidic and sulfided metal species (XRD, TPR, HRTEM). NiMo catalysts supported on Ti- and Zr-containing SBA-15 showed high activity in 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene HDS. It can be concluded therefore that SBA-15 materials grafted with Ti or Zr species show promising features as supports for Mo-based hydrotreating catalysts.     

Tailoring of alumina surfaces as supports for NiMo sulfide catalysts in the ultra deep hydrodesulfurization of gas oil: case study of TiO2-coated alumina prepared by chemical vapor deposition technique

The present paper gives a detailed review of the different studies under investigation in our laboratory concerning the use of TiO₂ and TiO₂–Al₂O₃ composites prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) as support for sulfide catalysts in the HDS of dibenzothiophene (DBT) derivatives. The supports investigated here are: TiO₂ (from Degussa, 50 m²/g), Al₂O₃ (Nikki, 186 m²/g) and TiO₂–Al₂O₃ supports prepared by CVD of TiCl₄ on alumina. Using several characterization techniques, we have demonstrated that the support composite presents a high dispersion of TiO₂ over γ-Al₂O₃ without forming precipitates up to ca. 11 wt.% loading. Moreover, the textural properties of the support composite are comparable to those of alumina. XPS investigations of Mo and NiMo catalysts supported on the different carriers show that Mo-oxide species exhibit a higher degree of sulfidation on the surface of TiO₂ and TiO₂–Al₂O₃ than on alumina. The HDS tests of 4,6-DMDBT under mild operating conditions (573 K, 3 MPa) show that sulfide catalysts supported on the composite support (ca. 11 wt.%) are more active than those supported on to TiO₂ or Al₂O₃. This higher HDS catalytic activity is attributed to the promotion of the hydrodesulfurization pathway, whereby the pre-hydrogenation of one of the aromatic rings adjacent to the thiophenic one may reduce the steric hindrance caused by the two methyl groups adjacent to the sulfur atom during the C–S bond cleavage.     

Catalytic activities of Co(Ni)Mo/TiO2–Al2O3 catalysts in gasoil and thiophene HDS and pyridine HDN: effect of the TiO2–Al2O3 composition

The effect of the TiO₂–Al₂O₃ mixed oxide support composition on the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of gasoil and the simultaneous HDS and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) of gasoil+pyridine was studied over two series of CoMo and NiMo catalysts. The intrinsic activities for gasoil HDS and pyridine HDN were significantly increased by increasing the amount of TiO₂ into the support, and particularly over rich- and pure-TiO₂-based catalysts. It is suggested that the increase in activity be due to an improvement in reducing and sulfiding of molybdena over TiO₂. The inhibiting effect of pyridine on gasoil HDS was found to be similar for all the catalysts, i.e., was independent of the support composition. The ranking of the catalysts for the gasoil HDS test differed from that obtained for the thiophene test at different hydrogen pressures. In the case of gasoil HDS, the activity increases with TiO₂ content and large differences are observed between the catalysts supported on pure Al₂O₃ and pure TiO₂. In contrast, in the case of the thiophene test, the pure Al₂O₃-based catalyst appeared relatively more active than the catalysts supported on mixed oxides. Also, in the thiophene test the difference in intrinsic activity between the pure Al₂O₃-based catalyst appeared relatively more active than the catalysts supported on mixed oxides. Also in the thiophene test, the difference in intrinsic activity between the pure Al₂O₃- and pure TiO₂-based catalysts is relatively small and dependent on the H₂ pressure used. Such differences in activity trend among the gasoil and the thiophene tests are due to a different sensitivity of the catalysts (by different support or promoter) to the experimental conditions used. The results of the effect of the H₂ partial pressure on the thiophene HDS, and on the effect of H₂S concentration on gasoil HDS demonstrate the importance of these parameters, in addition to the nature of the reactant, to perform an adequate catalyst ranking.     

制备条件对Ni2P/TiO2-Al2O3催化剂加氢脱硫性能的影响

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了TiO₂-Al₂O₃复合载体, 以柠檬酸为络合剂, 浸渍法制备了负载型Ni₂P/TiO₂-Al₂O₃催化剂前体, 程序升温H₂还原法制备了Ni₂P/TiO₂-Al₂O₃催化剂, 并用 X 射线衍射(XRD)、N₂吸附比表面积(BET)测定技术对催化剂的结构和性质进行了表征, 考察了浸渍方法、Ni/P摩尔比、Ni₂P负载量对其进行的二苯并噻吩(DBT)加氢脱硫(HDS)性能的影响。结果表明, 当Ni/P比低于1:1时, 能得到单一的Ni₂P物相;当Ni/P比为2:1时, 开始出现Ni₃P物相。采用Ni/P比为1:1、Ni₂P负载量为30%、采用共浸渍方法制备的Ni₂P/TiO₂-Al₂O₃催化剂具有最好的活性, 在360℃、3.0MPa、氢油比500 (体积比)、液时体积空速2.0h^-1的条件下反应4h时, 二苯并噻吩转化率为99.5%。     

Support Effects on Thiophene Hydrodesulfurization over Co-Mo-Ni/Al2O3 and Co-Mo-Ni/TiO2-Al2O3 Catalysts

A carbon-based sulfonated catalyst was prepared by direct sulfonation and carbonization （in moderate conditions：200 ＆#176;C, 12 h） of red liquor solids, a by-product of paper-making process. The prepared sulfonated cata-lyst （SC） had aromatic structure, composed of carbon enriched inner core, and oxygen-containing （SO3H, COOH, OH） groups enriched surface. The SO3H, COOH, OH groups amounted to 0.74 mmol·g^-1, 0.78 mmol·g^-1, 2.18 mmol·g^-1, respectively. The fresh SC showed much higher catalytic activity than that of the traditional solid acid catalysts （strong-acid 732 cation exchange resin, hydrogen type zeolite socony mobile-five （HZSM-5）, sulfated zir-conia） in esterification of oleic acid. SC was deactivated during the reactions, through the mechanisms of leaching of sulfonated species and formation of sulfonate esters. Two regeneration methods were developed, and the catalytic activity can be mostly regenerated by regeneration Method 1 and be fully regenerated by regeneration Method 2, respectively.     

Hydrodesulfurization of thiophene, dibenzothiophene and gas oil on various Co---Mo/TiO2-Al2O3 catalysts

Evaluation of Co---Mo catalysts prepared on various TiO₂-Al₂O₃ supports has been made for thiophene under atmospheric pressure, dibenzothiophene under high pressure and gasoil in a classical pilot plant. Comparison of activities indicates DBT as more representative of a real feedstock and the Co---Mo/TiO₂ (50%)-Al₂O₃ (50%) catalyst appears more active than the Co---Mo/Al₂O₃ sample toward HDS, HDN and hydrodearomatization.     

Hydrodesulfurization of hindered dibenzothiophenes on bifunctional NiMo catalysts supported on zeolite–alumina composites

A series of NiMo catalysts supported on HNaY(x)–Al₂O₃ composites with different amounts of HNaY zeolite (x = 0, 5, 10, 20 and 100 wt.% of HNaY) was prepared and tested in the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and 4,6-dimethyl-DBT (4,6-DMDBT). The catalysts were characterized by N₂ physisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR spectroscopy of pyridine and nitrogen oxide adsorption (Py and NO-FT-IR), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). It was found that the increase in the zeolite content causes changes in the acidic properties of the catalyst (number of acid sites) as well as in the characteristics of the deposited metallic species (location and dispersion). Different activity trends with the amount of the zeolite were found for the DBT and 4,6-DMDBT hydrodesulfurization on NiMo/HNaY-Al₂O₃ catalysts. As for the HDS of DBT the alumina-supported catalyst presents the highest activity. The incorporation of the zeolite causes an initial drop and then the recovery of activity with zeolite content. In contrast, for the 4,6-DMDBT the HDS activity always increases with zeolite content. These two different catalytic behaviors seem to be due to two opposite effects, which affect the contribution of the reaction routes available for the HDS of each reactant, these effects are: (i) the decrease of MoS₂ dispersion caused by the incorporation of zeolite to the catalyst and (ii) the increase of the proportion of Brönsted acid sites with zeolite content. The reaction product distribution indicates that both types of sites, coordinatively unsaturated sites (CUS) of the MoS₂ and zeolite Brönsted acid sites, participate in the 4,6-DMDBT and DBT transformations.     

Photocatalytic activity of Cu2O/TiO2, Bi2O3/TiO2 and ZnMn2O4/TiO2 heterojunctions

Cu₂O/TiO₂, Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ and ZnMn₂O₄/TiO₂ heterojunctions were studied for potential applications in water decontamination technology and their capacity to induce an oxidation process under VIS light. UV–vis spectroscopy analysis showed that the junctions-based Cu₂O, Bi₂O₃ and ZnMn₂O₄ are able to absorb a large part of visible light (respectively, up to 650, 460 and 1000 nm). This fact was confirmed in the case of Cu₂O/TiO₂ and Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ by photocatalytic experiments performed under visible light. A part of the charge recombination that can take place when both semiconductors are excited was observed when a photocatalytic experiment was performed under UV–vis illumination. Orange II, 4-hydroxybenzoic and benzamide were used as pollutants in the experiment. Photoactivity of the junctions was found to be strongly dependent on the substrate. The different phenomena that were observed in each case are discussed.