Investigation of catalytic oxidative desulfurization of diesel fuel using Mo catalyst supported on γ-Al2O3

Considering the importance of deep desulfurization of commercial diesels in accordance with the global standards, in this study, the oxidative desulfurization of a commercial diesel of Tehran Oil Refinery using MoO3/γ-Al2O3 catalyst has been fully investigated. The synthesized catalyst has been characterized using FT-IR, SEM, EDS, BET and XRD analyses. The effect of Mo loading and main process variables (temperature, O/S molar ratio, catalyst amount, reaction time and type of extraction solvent) have been investigated. Acetonitrile has been suggested as the most effective solvent. The stability of the catalyst has been evaluated. The evaluation has shown the main effect of other hydrocarbons of the commercial diesel on the catalyst stability in addition to the effect of ODS products and water impurity adsorption on the catalyst surface. The results have indicated a very good catalytic role of MoO3/γ-Al2O3 in ODS of the diesel. Finally, at the optimal process variables, about 90% of sulfur compounds which have been present in the diesel with initial sulfur concentration of 590 ppmw have been removed using one step extraction of sulfones by acetonitrile.