Screening of Inorganic Adsorbents for Selective Adsorption of Thiophene from Model Gasoline

Hydrodesulfurization-treated (HDS-treated) gasoline with low sulfur content is an important source of primary fuel for fuel cells, although it contains sulfur compounds, thiophene (TP), benzothiophene (BTP), and thiophene alkylated derivatives, known as a poison for the reformer catalysts and the electrode catalysts of fuel cells. Adsorptive removal of TP from model organic liquid of HDS-treated gasoline was screened on different kinds of inorganic adsorbents: hydrous metal oxides, mixed metal oxides, aluminosilicates, acidic salts of multivalent metal, hetero polyacidic salt, and metal salts of iron hexacyanate. All the adsorbents showed very low TP uptake, less than 5% of the total TP amount when metal ions were not loaded on the adsorbent. On the other hand, some metal ion (Ag, Cu, and Ce) loaded adsorbents had good TP adsorptive properties. On simple metal oxides, Ag ion was better for the formation of adsorption center than Ce or Ni ions. In zeolite group, Ce-loaded Y-zeolite showed the largest TP uptake (99% of the total TP amount). Hydrous cerium oxide and the Ce-loaded adsorbents prepared from K₄Fe(CN)₆], Silicagel, TiO₂, and ZrO₂ did not show TP selectivity. The effect of coexisting toluene on TP adsorption was studied from the TP solutions with and without toluene.