Ce/Al2O3 as an efficient catalyst for oxidative desulfurization of liquid fuel

Present paper evaluates the catalytic activity of Ce/Al2O3 (CeAl) catalyst for the oxidative removal of sulfur from model oil (dibenzothiophene, DBT, dissolved in iso-octane). CeAl catalyst synthesized using wetness impregnation technique was characterized by various techniques like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermo gravimetric and Brauner- Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area. CeAl catalyst was further used as catalyst for the optimization of operating parameters. Optimum dose was found to be 10 g/l. The catalytic oxidation of DBT was found to be gradual process with optimum reaction time of 3 h at mild conditions (atmosphere pressure and 60 degrees C).