ion-exchanged zeolite for Desulfurization of diesel

As the restrictions by governments worldwide on lowering of sulfur content in transportationfuels are getting more stringent, the search for alternatives to conventionalhydrodesulfurization process is attracting numerous studies on desulfurization. In the presentwork, we report studies on sulfur removal to acceptable levels by using adsorption process atroom temperature. Y-zeolites, ion exchanged with metal ions that are capable of -complexation, have been studied for their usefulness in desulfurization of diesel. Studies havebeen carried out on a model diesel comprising all the major refractory sulfur compounds suchas benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene and ۴,۶-dimethyl dibenzothiophene and also oncommercial diesel. A very high sulfur removal capacity has been observed for Ni–Y (~ ۴۲mg/g) zeolite.

Keywords:

Desulfurization , Diesel , Sulfur removal , Ion exchange , Zeolite , Adsorption