Ce2(MoO4)3 as an efficient catalyst for aerobic oxidative desulfurization of fuels
Xiaoyi Liu, Xiuping Li, Rongxiang Zhao
Abstract
Ce2(MoO4)3 was synthesized by a simple reflux method using cerium nitrate hexahydrate and ammonium molybdate as reactants. The as-prepared Ce2(MoO4)3 was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT) in model oil was studied using Ce2(MoO4)3 as catalyst and oxygen as oxidant. The reaction factors such as reaction temperature, amount of catalyst, and sulfide type on sulfur removal were researched. The results prove that both Ce3+ and MoO42- play significant role in the conversion from DBT to DBTO2. The Ce2(MoO4)3 catalyst has an excellent performance for the sulfur removal of DBT. Under the optimum reaction conditions, sulfur removal of 99.6% was obtained. After recycling five times, no significant loss in catalyst activity of Ce2(MoO4)3. Mechanism of aerobic oxidative desulfurization was proposed based on the experiment of free radical capture and infrared characterization.