Ultrasound assisted oxidative desulfurization of marine fuels on MoO3/ Al2O3 catalyst

Oxidative desulfurization (ODS) was applied to three marine fuels with viscosities between 380 and 700 cSt (centistokes) and sulfur contents between 0.79 and 3.27 wt.%, using a MoO3/Al2O3 catalyst. H2O2 was chosen as oxidizing agent with a low oxidant to sulfur ratio of 3, for economic and environmental reasons. Global sulfur removal was obtained after extraction of sulfones by dimethylformamide. Oxidation efficiency was evaluated by monitoring the conversion of alkyl-benzothiophenes and dibenzothiophene molecule by gas chromatography (GC) with a sulfur specific detector. Applying ultrasounds prior to oxidation was found to significantly enhance conversions and sulfur removal, the effect being more pronounced when initial efficiency was low, that is for more refractory molecules and heavier fuels. Ultrasound assisted ODS (UAOD) was effective on raw fuels with initial viscosity below 700 cSt. Indeed, dilution decreased the viscosity of the fuels, allowing reaction to be effective even on initially very heavy fuels. The presence of asphaltenes dissolved or precipitated in the feed did not affect the conversion of Cx-BTs and DBT significantly, with only slight variations of global sulfur removal rates. Global desulfurization rates between 60 and 80 % were obtained, clearly showing the efficiency of UAOD applied to complex matrices such as marine fuels.

Automated summary

The study demonstrated the efficiency of oxidative desulfurization (ODS) on marine fuels using H2O2 as the oxidizing agent with a low oxidant to sulfur ratio for economic and environmental reasons. Ultrasound assisted ODS (UAOD) was found to enhance conversions and sulfur removal significantly, especially for fuels with lower viscosity, showing great potential for industrial applications.