Extractive Desulfurization of Fuel Oils with Thiazolium-Based Ionic Liquids

A new class of green solvents, known as ionic liquids (ILs), has recently been the subject of intensive research on the extractive desulfurization of fuel oils because of the limitation of the traditional hydrodesulfurization method in catalytically removing thiophenic sulfur compounds. In this work, four thiazolium-based ILs, that is, 3-butyl-4-methylthiazolium dicyanamide ([BMTH][DCA]), 3-butyl-4-methylthiazolium thiocyanate ([BMTH][SCN]), 3-butyl-4-methylthiazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMTH][PF₆]), and 3-butyl-4-methylthiazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMTH][BF₄]), are synthesized. The extractive capability of these ILs in removing thiophene (TS) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) from model fuel oils is investigated. [BMTH][DCA] and [BMTH][SCN] present better extractive desulfurization capability than [BMTH][BF₄] and [BMTH][PF₆], which may be ascribed to the additional π?π interaction between –C≡N (in [BMTH][DCA] and [BMTH][SCN]) and thiophenic ring (in TS and DBT); DBT in diesel fuel is more efficiently extracted than TS in gasoline. [BMTH][DCA] offers the best desulfurization results, where 64% and 45% sulfur removal are obtained for DBT and TS, respectively, at IL:oil mass ratio of 1:1, 25°C, 20 min. [BMTH][DCA] is thus selected to systematically investigate the effects of temperature, IL:oil mass ratio, initial sulfur content, multiple-extraction, and IL regeneration on desulfurization. The mutual solubility of [BMTH][DCA] with fuel oil is also determined. It is observed that the desulfurization capability is not too sensitive to temperature and initial sulfur content, which is desired in industrial application; the sulfur contents in gasoline and diesel fuel are reduced from 558 ppm to 20 ppm (after 5 cycles) and from 547 ppm to 8 ppm (after 4 cycles), respectively. This work may show a new option for deep desulfurization of fuel oils.     

Deep oxidative–extractive desulfurization of fuels using benzyl‐based ionic liquid

Four benzyl‐based ionic liquids (ILs) were synthetized and used for deep desulfurization of model oil and real diesel fuel. The removal efficiencies of benzothiophene (BT) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) with [Bzmim][NTf₂] and [Bzmim][SCN] as extractants are higher than that with [Bzmp][NTf₂] and [Bzmp][SCN] as extractants. The desulfurization capability follows the Nernst's Law. A reactive extraction mathematical model for desulfurization was established. An oxidative‐extractive two‐step deep desulfurization method was developed. DBT was first oxidized by H₂O₂ with CH₃COOH as catalyst and then the unoxidized DBT and uncrystallized dibenzothiophene sulfoxide (DBTO₂) in model oil were extracted by [Bzmim][NTf₂], and finally the removal efficiency was 98.4% after one‐stage extraction. Besides, the removal efficiency of 4,6‐DMDBT was 96.4% after oxidation and one‐stage extraction processes. Moreover, the oxidative‐extractive two‐step deep desulfurization method was also effective for desulfurization of diesel fuel. The removal efficiency of sulfur reached up to 96% after oxidation and three‐stage cross‐current extraction processes. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 4023–4034, 2016     

Removal of Dibenzothiophene from Diesels by Extraction and Catalytic Oxidation with Acetamide‐Based Deep Eutectic Solvents

A series of acetamide‐based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with different proportions were prepared. Extraction and catalytic oxidation desulfurization (ECODS) of the acetamide‐based DESs were investigated and the process was optimized. Such DESs with a molar ratio of acetamide and p‐TsOH of 1/3 (C₂H₅NO/3p‐TsOH) exhibits such a remarkable catalytic activity that the dibenzothiophene (DBT) removal could reach 100 % under optimized conditions. C₂H₅NO/3p‐TsOH was used for the oxidative desulfurization of actual commercial diesel. The sulfur removal of diesel achieved up to 98 %. C₂H₅NO/3p‐TsOH could be recycled six times and the desulfurization activity was slightly decreased. Evaluation of the mechanism indicated that oxidative desulfurization (ODS) was realized via dual activation of acetamide‐based DESs. A novel and effective way for deep desulfurization of diesel is provided.     

四氟硼酸盐类离子液体对典型柴油的萃取脱硫研究

The extractive removal of sulfur compounds （S-compounds） from Dongying and Liaohe diesel fuels with [BF4]^--based ionic liquids were systematically investigated. The results show that the absorption capacity of an ionic liquid for the S-compounds in diesel fuels relies on its structure and its size. In the case of the two examined diesel fuels, both elongating the cation tail length and increasing the mass ratio of ionic liquid/diesel fuel promote the desulfurization ability of the examined ionic liquids. The results also show that imidazolium-based ionic liquids display higher extraction efficiencies than pyridinium-based ionic liquids, presumably owing to the fact that the rings of the S-compounds are similar to the imidazolium head ring. With the 1 ： 1 mass ratio of ionic liquid/diesel fuel, the rates of the first desulfurization of Dongying and Liaohe diesel fuels using [C8mim][BF4] amount to 29.96% and 39.76%, suggesting that [C8mim][BF4] is a promising extractant for desulfurization of these diesel fuels.     

Catalytic oxidative desulfurization of benzothiophene with hydrogen peroxide over Fe/AC in a biphasic model diesel-acetonitrile system

Catalytic oxidative desulfurization (Cat-ODS) of benzothiophene (BT) in n-octane has been investigated with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) over catalysts of activated carbon (AC) supported iron oxide under mild conditions. The catalyst was characterized by N₂ adsorption, XRD, SEM/EDS, TPR and XPS. Under the best operating condition for the catalytic oxidative desulfurization—temperature 60 °C, atmospheric pressure, 0.15 g Fe/AC, 18 molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to sulfur, using acetonitrile as extraction solvent for double extraction—the sulfur content in model diesel fuel (MDF) was reduced from 700 ppmw to 30 ppmw with 95.66% of total sulfur was removed.     

Desulfurization of Real Fuel Oils by Extraction with Ionic Liquids

Aromatic 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([C₄mim][N(CN)₂]) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([C₂mim][N(CN)₂]) ionic liquids are tested for their performance in the extractive desulfurization of real FCC gasoline and diesel fuel. [C₄mim][N(CN)₂] has proven to be more effective than [C₂mim][N(CN)₂] in removing sulfur from fuels and was thus selected to undergo a series of further tests. A competitive desulfurization efficiency of nearly 40% and 30% was realized with [C₄mim][N(CN)₂] for diesel fuel and gasoline, respectively, in a single extraction at <1 h, 25°C, and 1:1(w/w)IL:fuel. The influence of IL:fuel mass ratio, temperature, and multiple extractions on S-extraction efficiency is investigated, and the result tends to favor large-scale industrial application. This high efficiency obtained at low temperature, together with the insensitivity of the Nernst partition coefficient on desulfurization efficiency, is industrially favorable because not much energy and cost are required. The influence of mass ratios is not obvious, but to some degree, the Nernst partition coefficients depend on the mass ratio, suggesting that this extraction is not a completely physically-determined extraction. This work offers a significant contribution to the production of clean oils by extraction with ionic liquids.     

V-Mo based catalysts for oxidative desulfurization of diesel fuel

Catalytic oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of a Mexican diesel fuel on a spent HDS catalyst, deactivated by metal deposits, was carried out during several reactive-batch cycles in order to study the catalytic performance to obtain low sulfur diesel. To explain catalytic activity results, Mo and/or V oxides supported on alumina pellets were prepared and evaluated in the ODS of a model diesel using tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) or H₂O₂ as oxidant. The catalytic results show that V-Mo based catalysts are more active during several ODS cycles using TBHP. The performance of the catalysts was discussed in terms of reduced species of vanadium oxide, prevailing on the catalysts, which increase the sulfone yield of refractory HDS compounds (DBT, 4-MDBT and 4,6-DMDBT).     

Deep desulfurization of diesel via peroxide oxidation using phosphotungstic acid as phase transfer catalyst

High sulfur level in diesel fuel has been identified as a major contributor to air pollutant in term of sulfur dioxide (SO_x) through diesel fueled vehicles. The main aim of the present work is to develop a promising methodology for ultra deep desulfurization of diesel fuel using oxidation followed by phase transfer of oxidized sulfur. Experiments were carried out in a batch reactor using n-decane as the model diesel compound and also using commercial diesel feedstock. To remove sulfur tetraoctylammonium bromide, phosphotungstic acid, and hydrogen peroxide were used as phase transfer agent, catalyst and oxidant respectively. The percent sulfur removal increases with increasing the initial concentration of sulfur in fuel and with increasing the reaction temperature. Similar trends were observed when commercial diesel was used to carry out desulfurization studies. The amphiphilic catalyst serves as a catalyst and also as an emulsifying agent to stabilize the emulsion droplets. The effects of temperature, agitation speed, quantity of catalyst and the phase transfer agent were studied to estimate the optimal conditions for the reactions. The sulfur removal from a commercial diesel by phase transfer catalysis has been found effective and removal efficiency was more than 98%. Kinetic experiments carried out for the desulfurization revealed that the sulfur removal results are best fitted to a pseudo first order kinetics and the apparent activation energy of desulfurization was 30.6 kJ/mol.     

Deep Desulfurization of Gasoline Fuel using FeCl3-Containing Lewis-Acidic Ionic Liquids

The FeCl₃-containing Lewis-acidic ionic liquids (ILs) [C₆mim]Cl/FeCl₃(1:1.5), [C₆mim]Cl/FeCl₃(1:2), [C₈mim]Cl/FeCl₃(1:1.5), and [C₈mim]Cl/FeCl₃(1:2) were used as extractants for desulfurization of model fuel and gasoline fuel, respectively. The results demonstrate that these ILs are effective for the removal of sulfur compounds from model fuel under different mass ratio of IL to model fuel (1:1, 1:3, 1:5, 1:10) at 25°C. The extractive performance of ILs increased as the molar ratio of FeCl₃ to [C_nmim]Cl(n = 6, 8) varied from 1:1 to 1:2. The selectivity of sulfur compounds by extraction process followed the order of dibenzothiophene (DBT)>benzothiophene (BT) > 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT). The sulfur removal of gasoline fuel containing sulfur content of 440.3 ppmw could be up to 85.8%; that is to say that the sulfur content of gasoline fuel varied from 440.3 ppmw to 62.4 ppmw after one extraction stage. Moreover, the [C₆mim]Cl/FeCl₃(1:2) can be recycled for at least 4 times with a little decrease in the desulfurization activity.     

Extractive Desulfurization of Fuel Oils with Dicyano(nitroso)methanide-based Ionic Liquids

The inability of traditional hydrodesulfurization (HDS) to effectively remove aromatic sulfur compounds such as thiophene (TS) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) has called for alternative methods to be studied, among which extractive desulfurization using ionic liquids (ILs) has attracted increasing interest. In this work, we prepared a new IL, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyano(nitroso)methanide ([C₄mim][dcnm]), and investigated its extractive desulfurization for both model oils and real FCC gasoline, where model diesel fuel was composed of n-hexane and droplets of DBT and model gasoline was composed of n-hexane, toluene and droplets of TS. Other three [dcnm]-based ILs, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyano(nitroso)methanide ([C₂min][dcnm]), N-ethyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium dicyano(nitroso)methanide ([C₂mpyr][dcnm]), and N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium dicyano(nitroso)methanide ([C₄mpyr][dcnm]), were also comparatively investigated. These [dcnm]-based ILs have low viscosity which favors the mass transfer and reduces the extractive equilibrium time, also are fluorine-free which avoids the corrosion by hydrogen fluoride from anion decomposition that occurs generally in fluorine-containing ILs. The desulfurization ability follows the order [C₄min][dcnm] > [C₄mpyr][dcnm] > [C₂min][dcnm] > [C₂mpyr][dcnm]. Typically, [C₄min][dcnm] is capable of removing 66% DBT and 53% TS from their respective model oils after one cycle (initial 500 ppm S, 25°C, 15 min, mass ratio of IL:oil 1:1), and < 10 ppm S-content can be obtained after 4 cycles. It was observed interestingly that the S-content in real FCC gasoline can be reduced from initial 250 ppm to < 30 ppm after 6 cycles using [C₄min][dcnm] as extractive reagent, which is better than some previous results for real feedstocks. Mutual solubility, extractive temperature, IL:oil mass ratio, multiple extraction, initial S-content, and regeneration were also studied. These dcnm-based ILs are competitive extractive reagents compared with some other ILs to remove those aromatic S-compounds from fuel oils.     

Imidazolium-based alkylphosphate ionic liquids - A potential solvent for extractive desulfurization of fuel

N-ethyl-imidazolium-based alkylphosphate ionic liquid (IL), viz. N-ethyl-N-methyl-imidazolium dimethylphosphate ([EMIM][DMP]), N-ethyl-N-ethyl-imidazolium diethylphosphate ([EEIM][DEP]) and N-butyl-N-ethyl-imidazolium dibutylphosphate ([BEIM][DBP]) were demonstrated to be effective for the removal of aromatic sulfur compounds (S-compound) 3-methylthiophene (3-MT), benzothiophene (BT) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) from fuel oils in terms of sulfur partition coefficients (K_N) at 298.15 K. It was shown that the extractive ability of the alkylphosphate ILs was dominated by the structure of the cation and followed the order [BEIM][DBP] > [EEIM][DEP] > [EMIM][DMP] for each S-compound studied with their K_N-value being 1.72, 1.61 and 1.17, respectively for DBT. For a specified IL the sulfur selectivity followed the order DBT > BT > 3-MT with their K_N-value being 1.61, 1.39 and 0.78, respectively for [EEIM][DEP]. The alkylphosphate ILs are insoluble in fuel while the fuel solubility in ILs varies from 20.6 mg(fuel)/g(IL) for [EMIM][DMP] to 266.9 mg(fuel)/g(IL) for [BEIM][DBP]. The results suggest that [EEIM][DEP] might be used as a promising solvent for the extractive desulfurization of fuel, considering its higher sulfur extractive ability, lower solubility for fuel and thus negligible influence on the constituent of fuel, and the ease of regeneration for the spent IL via water dilution process.     

A novel approach for ultra‐deep adsorptive desulfurization of diesel fuel over TiO2–CeO2/MCM‐48 under ambient conditions

A novel approach for ultra‐deep desulfurization of diesel fuel was proposed, in which the original fuel was treated by light irradiation before adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) over the TiO₂–CeO₂/MCM‐48 adsorbent under ambient conditions. A superior capacity of 95 cm³‐fuel/g‐adsorbent (32 times higher than that of the original fuel) was achieved. The promoting effect of light irradiation was likely through in situ peroxides generation in fuel under visible light/sunlight, which may oxidize organosulfur to form strongly adsorbed sulfones over the adsorbent.     

Simultaneous removal of SO2 and NOx by microwave with potassium permanganate over zeolite

Simultaneous sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) removal from flue gas can be achieved with high efficiency by microwave with potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) over zeolite. The experimental results showed that the microwave reactor could be used to oxidation of SO₂ to sulfate with the best desulfurization efficiency of 96.8% and oxidize NO_x to nitrates with the best NO_x removal efficiency of 98.4%. Microwave accentuates catalytic oxidation treatment, and microwave addition can increase the SO₂ and NO_x removal efficiency by 7.2% and 12.2% separately. The addition of zeolite to microwave potassium permanganate increases from 16.5% to 43.5% the microwave removal efficiency for SO₂, and the NO_x removal efficiency from 85.6% to 98.2%. The additional use of potassium permanganate to the microwave zeolite leads to the enhancement of SO₂ removal efficiency up from 53.9% to 95%, and denitrification efficiency up from 85.6% to 98.2%. The optimal microwave power and empty bed residence time (EBRT) on simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification are 259 W and 0.357 s, respectively. SO₂ and NO_x were rapidly oxidized in microwave induced catalytic oxidation reaction using potassium permanganate with zeolite being the catalyst and microwave absorbent.     

微波辐射柴油脱硫实验研究

采用微波辅助氧化反应的方法对辽河常二线柴油配制油样进行了脱硫实验，过氧化氢作氧化剂，可以把柴油中的含硫化合物有选择性地氧化成相应的具有很强极性的砜，根据相似相溶原理，这些砜因溶于剂相而从柴油中除去，从而降低了硫含量。实验过程中分别考察了氧化荆用量、剂油比、反应体系压力、氧化时间、微波功率等对柴油硫含量的影响。确定了实验室适宜的操作条件：剂油体积比为0．25：1，微波辐射压力为0．05MPa，微波功率为375w，辐射时间为6min，柴油的脱硫率为60％．而在无微波辐射的条件下，脱硫率仅为12％。     

Investigation of NH3 Influence on Adsorptive H2S Removal from Biogas for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Application

The generation of electrical energy from biogas is state of the art. One option is the application of fuel cells for generating electrical energy. Due to their construction, the materials used and their mode of operation, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are particularly suitable. The primary problem in the operation of SOFCs using biogas is H₂S. The goal of this work is to investigate the possible effects of ammonia on different sorbents that have already successfully been used for the desulfurization of biogas. The H₂S adsorption capacity of four commercially available sorbents in the presence of NH₃ was investigated as well as the influence of an upstream NH₃ removal. The CuO‐MnO‐based sorbent showed the best performance related to sulfur uptake.     

锰系可再生高温脱硫剂的制备及其性能测试

煤气的高温脱硫净化是 IGCC 和 DRI 生产的瓶颈,直接影响整个过程的热效率。在50℃、pH值约为9的条件下采用硝酸锰、硝酸铝混合溶液与氨水进行共沉淀,制备了锰含量不同的脱硫剂,在固定床反应器中考察了脱硫剂的硫化及再生性能,并利用XRD、SEM、BET等手段表征了脱硫剂在硫化/再生过程中的物相和结构变化。共沉淀法制备的脱硫剂Mn/Al分散性好,在850℃高温下进行脱硫反应可以定量快速进行。脱硫硫容与脱硫剂锰含量呈正比,Mn-S/Mn-O交换原子比在0.90~0.95之间,改变空速和进口H₂S含量并不改变脱硫硫容。采用O₂浓度为3%的稀释空气在850℃下再生,再生后的硫容稳定,说明所制备的脱硫剂可用于高温可再生脱硫。     

Oxidative desulfurization of diesel fuels in the presence of crown ethers and transition metal peroxo complexes

The catalytic activity of crown ethers and their complexes with transition metal cations in diesel fuel desulfurization has been investigated. With dibenzo-18-crown-6 in combination with NbCl₅, the total sulfur content of the fuel can be reduced by a factor of 2 or larger. The effects of the reaction temperature, nature of metal and crown ether, and sorbent acidity on the residual sulfur content are reported. Methods of separation of oxidized compounds, namely adsorption chromatography and extraction are compared in terms of desulfurization efficiency. The latter method is demonstrated to be preferable.     

Oxidative Desulfurization of Model Diesel Using a Fenton‐Like Catalyst in the Ionic Liquid [Dmim]BF4

A Fenton‐like catalyst prepared from tetrabutylammonium chloride and ferric trichloride was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, UV‐vis and Raman spectroscopy. The catalyst (C₄H₉)₄NFeCl₄ (TBAFeCl₄) in an extraction and catalytic oxidative desulfurization (ECODS) system containing H₂O₂ and the ionic liquid (IL) 1‐decyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([Dmim]BF₄) exhibited high catalytic activity for the removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT) in model diesel. Desulfurization with the Fenton‐like catalyst TBAFeCl₄ in ECODS involves the structural distortion of DBT via polarization of the IL and its subsequent oxidation. The catalytic system could be recycled multiple times without significant decrease in desulfurization activity due to the high stability of the system.     

酸性离子液体和Na2WO4·2H2O催化

以酸性离子液体和Na₂WO₄·2H₂O组成的体系为催化剂，过氧化氢为氧化剂，将催化柴油中的噻吩硫氧化为砜类物质，并通过NMP将其萃取出来，同时考察了反应温度、反应时间和催化剂用量等因素对氧化脱硫反应的影响，得出最佳反应条件为：3 mL油样（含硫200 μg·g^_-1），1 g离子液体，0.021 g 钨酸钠（Na₂WO₄·2H₂O）， 0.7 mL过氧化氢，反应温度323 K，反应时间3 h，萃取剂与柴油体积比为1∶1，此时样品中的硫可降低到23 μg·g^-1。反应结束后，可以通过简单的倾倒将油样和催化剂分离，催化剂重复使用5次，催化活性基本不变。     

Desulfurization matching with coal poly-generation system based on dual gas resources

The coal poly-generation system for the production of alcohol and ether fuels as well as power is one of advanced coal utilization techniques. The team leaded by Professor Xie Kechang is carrying out the research on the poly-generation system to produce the syngas from the combination of gasified and pyrolyzed coal gas (dual gas resources) for the alcohol ether synthesis. Gas desulfurization is one of the key technologies for this system. The desulfurization matching with dual gas resources based poly-generation system for the production of alcohol and ether fuels as well as power is presented according to gas components, sulfur content, sulfur species and desulfurization accuracy in this technology. This matching desulfurization is classified into hot gas desulfurization, normal gas desulfurization, warm gas desulfurization and organic sulfur catalytic conversion. The preparation of H₂S removal sorbents, organic sulfur hydrolysis catalyst and the evaluation of their activities involved in the system were investigated. The H₂S removal efficiencies of the crude and fine desulfurization sorbents prepared for hot gas desulfurization are 90% and 99% at 500 °C in simulating coal gas, and their sulfur capacities are 21.85 wt.% and 24.91 wt.%, respectively. The organic sulfur catalyst shows the high hydrolysis activity, and the hydrolysis conversion of COS is more than that of CS₂ on the same catalyst. The research will provide necessary information for the matching desulfurization technology in the demonstration project on dual gas resources coal poly-generation system.