Application of Magnetic Graphene-based Nanocomposite Functionalized with Ionic Liquid for the Sulfur Removal from Gasoline

Since the start of the graphene revolution in 2004، it has captured increasing attention and has shown great promise in many applications arising from its unique physicochemical properties. On the other hand، magnetite nanoparticles which separate the materials based on magnetic properties have attracted great attention. Herein، the magnetic properties of the magnetite nanoparticles and the high adsorption capacity of graphene are combined to fabricate a new nanocomposite for the removal of sulfur compounds from gasoline. The synthesized nanocomposite was characterized by several techniques and effective parameters were optimized. The kinetic and thermodynamic data of the adsorption process were analyzed to clarify the mechanism of adsorption. The results showed that under optimal conditions، 58% of thiophen was removed in 20 min and deep desulfurization could be achieved during 4 cycles. The isothermal data conformed well to the Langmuir model، and thus a monolayer adsorption occurred on a homogeneous nanocomposite surface. The maximum sorption capacity of the nanocomposite for thiophene was 113 mg. g-1.