Zeolite-graphene composite as support for molybdenum-based catalysts and their hydrodesulfurization performance

A composite of zeolite Y type -graphene as a support doped with molybdenum-cobalt and molybdenum-nickel (active phase and promoter) was synthesized and evaluated as hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts. The ZGMoCo was found to have the ability to reduce the sulfur content by approximate to 98 % after a 5 h reaction time which is higher compared to the ZMoCo or ZMoNi. This activity can be ascribed to the improved surface area and better distribution of the active phases (molybdenum and cobalt or nickel) on the zeolite Y type -graphene surface. SEM images showed enhanced dispersion of the active phases on the support surface. As per the BET measurements, the surface area was improved due to the introduction of graphene to be 323.6 m(2)/g ZGMoCo compared to 257.3 m(2)/g ZMoCo; and 312.5 m(2)/g for ZGMoNi compared to 245.7 m(2)/g for ZMoNi. The work offers a convenient approach to prepare an effective HDS catalyst.