Modified Mesoporous TiO2-SiO2 Catalyst for Oxidative Desulfurization of Dibenzothiophene

The principal objective of this study was to develop a modified TiO2-SiO2 catalyst by a sol-gel method for oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) as a refractory sulfur compound of liquid fuels. TiO2-SiO2 catalysts were prepared using tetra-n-butyl orthotitanate (TBOT) as titania precursor and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as silica precursor. The oxidation of DBT was performed with tert-buthyl hydroproxide (TBHP) as the oxidant in the presence of the synthesized catalyst and the best result showed 98% desulfurization for the catalyst containing 7 wt% TiO2 (Ti-Si/7). However, DBT removal reduced to 20% in the present of a competitive nitrogen compound.

Keywords:

Oxidative desulfurization , Sol-gel , Titania-Silica , Dibenzothiophene.