Engineering a Local Hydrophilic Environment in Fuel Oil for Efficient Oxidative Desulfurization with Minimum H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Oxidant
Lei Chen, Jin−Tao Ren, Haoyu Wang, Minglei Sun, Zhong‐Yong Yuan
Abstract
Oxidative desulfurization (ODS) using H 2 O 2 oxidant has emerged as a viable carbon-neutral way to produce premium-grade sulfur-free fuels, yet it currently suffers from overconsumption of oxidants and low efficiency for the immiscibility and high interfacial tension of water and oil. Here, we report efficient ODS using minimal H 2 O 2 oxidant without phase transfer agents. This is achieved by introducing organic modifiers (for example, etidronic acid (EA)) on molybdenum oxides anchored carbon nanotubes to dynamically activate Mo active sites and capture H 2 O 2 molecules. Such in situ generated local hydrophilicity depends on the electron-donating and hydrophilic −OH functional groups in EA, which can not only endow Mo active sites with high electron density for chemisorption of H 2 O 2 but also ensure the sufficient supply of H 2 O 2 . Combined with the substrate enrichment effect of hydrophobic porous carbon to sulfur contaminants, the efficient ODS reaction occurs at the solid–water–oil three-phase interface. The complete desulfurization was achieved within 10 min at 40 °C with an O/S ratio of 1, surpassing the optimum in the literature. This work unveils an avenue to improve ODS activity by harnessing the local reaction environment.