Recently, our latest research paper "Aerobic Oxidation Depletion of Dibenzothiophene Derivatives in Diesel Oil: Role of Electron Rich Sites in Bimetallic Catalysts" was published in the journal "Inorganic Chemistry" (Nature Index, SCI Zone 1). Jiangsu University is the first completion unit, and our faculty members, Associate Researcher Xun Suhang, Associate Professor Zhang Xifeng from the School of Chemical Engineering, and Professor Zhu Wenshuai, are co corresponding authors.
With the increasing global awareness of environmental protection, the limit standards for sulfur content in fuel are becoming increasingly strict. However, dibenzothiophene and its derivatives in diesel are difficult to effectively remove through traditional hydrogen desulfurization (HDS) processes due to their stable molecular structure. This process also has limitations such as harsh operating conditions, high energy consumption, and large equipment investment. As a promising alternative technology, aerobic oxidation desulfurization (AODS) can convert sulfides into easily separable sulfone compounds under mild conditions, with the design of bimetallic catalysts being the key to achieving technological breakthroughs. By introducing a second type of metal site, the electronic structure and surface properties of the main metal can be regulated, thereby constructing more electron rich active sites. These sites can efficiently activate oxygen molecules and convert them into highly oxidative reactive oxygen species.
The experimental results showed that the bimetallic catalyst constructed by doping MoO3 with Ta metal exhibited extremely high catalytic activity and selectivity towards dibenzothiophene (DBT) and its derivatives (4,6-DMDBT), achieving efficient conversion of sulfides under mild conditions. A 100% desulfurization rate can be achieved by reacting at 120 ℃ for 5 hours, and it maintains good stability even after 26 cycles of use. This study focuses on the difficult to degrade dibenzothiophene compounds in diesel, and successfully designs and validates an innovative method that significantly improves desulfurization efficiency by constructing electron rich sites. Research has shown that bimetallic catalysts designed based on rich electron sites have advantages such as high stability, long service life, and good reusability.
This research achievement has been supported by projects such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Open Project of the National Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil. Article link: doi/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c00845 .
