Synthesis of N-CNT-TiO2 Nanocatalyst: Application in Direct Oxidation of H2S to Sulfur

In this study, nitrogen-doped MWCNT-TiO2 nanocatalyst (N-CNT-TiO2) with 1, 3, and 5 wt. % nitrogen has been synthesized and its catalytic activity in the oxidation of H2S to sulfur has been studied at a temperature of 200°C and O2/H2S mole ratio of 0.5 and compared with those of neat TiO2 and TiO2-CNT hybrid. Their structure, morphology, and chemical properties have been determined by N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, XRD, SEM, TEM, UV, and FT-IR. N-CNT-TiO2 exhibited improved performance compared with TiO2-CNT due to the presence of nitrogen groups. In addition, the nanocatalyst was comparable (up to 5%) with TiO2 because of the presence of a lower bandgap and synergistic effects. Furthermore, 5%N-CNT-TiO2 has shown the highest catalytic activity among N-CNT-TiO2 nanocatalysts due to its higher surface area and pore volume.