SBA-15 modified with Al,Ti, or Zr as supports for highly active NiW catalysts for HDS

A series of SBA-15-type materials modified with Al, Ti, and Zr were prepared and used as supports for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts based on NiW. Prepared supports and catalysts were characterized by N₂ physisorption, small- and wide-angle XRD, UV–Vis DRS, FT-IR, IEP, TPR, TPD, HRTEM, and SEM–EDX. Sulfided catalysts were evaluated in HDS of dibenzothiophene (DBT). Catalytic activity tests show that the creation of defined anchoring points for the W species by modifying the surface of SBA-15 with Al, Ti, and Zr results in a considerable improvement in catalysts’ performance compared to pure SBA-supported analog. The possible reasons for this behavior are discussed.