Effect of the calcination temperature on SnO2-MoO3 crystal structure and catalytic activity in desulfurization of model diesel

Abstract

Fuel’s sulfur content should be controlled to prolong catalytic converters and infrastructure life and improve air quality and human health. Catalytic sulphur oxidation is widely used for fuel refining. In this work, a novel SnO2-MoO3 catalyst was synthesized by the inverse sol–gel method for oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT). The catalyst was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption–desorption, and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Calcination temperatures 150–650 °C significantly affected the catalyst’s thermal stability, textural properties, and catalytic efficiency. The optimal calcination temperature of 450 °C resulted in a 99.6 % conversion of the DBT to dibenzothiophene sulfone. Kinetic investigations revealed a pseudo-first-order reaction with a 36 ± 4 kJmol−1 activation energy. The catalyst demonstrated excellent catalytic activity and reusability and thus has huge potential in industrial catalytic desulfurization. This catalyst promises improved air quality, public health, long catalytic converter life, and reduced infrastructure degradation.