Alkali Earth Catalysts Based on Mesoporous MCM-41 and Al-SBA-15 for Sulfone Removal from Middle Distillates

Eduard Karakhanov; Argam Akopyan; Oleg Golubev; Alexander Anisimov; Aleksandr Glotov; Anna Vutolkina; Anton Maximov

doi:10.1021/acsomega.9b01819

Alkali Earth Catalysts Based on Mesoporous MCM-41 and Al-SBA-15 for Sulfone Removal from Middle Distillates

ACS Omega. 2019 Jul 26;4(7):12736-12744. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.9b01819. eCollection 2019 Jul 31.

Authors

Eduard Karakhanov¹, Argam Akopyan¹, Oleg Golubev¹, Alexander Anisimov¹, Aleksandr Glotov^{1

2}, Anna Vutolkina¹, Anton Maximov^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, GSP-1, 1-3 Leninskiye Gory, Moscow 119991, Russia.
² Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (National Research University), Leninsky Prospekt 65, Moscow 119991, Russia.
³ Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Prospekt 29, Moscow 119991, Russia.

Abstract

Mg, Ca, and Ba catalysts supported on structured mesoporous silica oxides types MCM-41 and Al-SBA-15 were synthesized and investigated in sulfone cracking for sulfur removal from oxidized diesel fuel. Functional materials and catalysts were characterized by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption, transmission electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy techniques. Catalytic tests were carried out in fixed-bed and batch reactors with a model compound dibenzothiophene sulfone and oxidized diesel fraction as a feed. MgO/MCM-41 and MgO/Al-MCM-41 possess high activity in sulfone cracking. The sulfur content in the diesel fraction decreases from initial 450 up to 100 ppmw. Catalysts can be regenerated for reuse in several cycles and may be potentially scaled up for industrial applications.