Process Optimization for Catalytic Oxidation of Dibenzothiopheneover UiO-66-NH2by Using a Response Surface Methodology

This research investigates the catalytic performance of a metal-organicframework (MOF) with a functionalized ligand???UiO-66-NH2???in the oxidative desulfuriza-tion of dibenzothiophene (DBT) inn-dodecane as a model fuel mixture (MFM). Thesolvothermally prepared catalyst was characterized by XRD, FTIR,1H NMR, SEM, TGA, andMP-AES analyses. A response surface methodology was employed for the experiment designand variable optimization using central composite design (CCD). The effects of reactionconditions on DBT removal efficiency, including temperature (X1), oxidant agent over sulfur(O/S) mass ratio (X2), and catalyst over sulfur (C/S) mass ratio (X3), were assessed. Optimalprocess conditions for sulfur removal were obtained when the temperature, O/S mass ratio,and C/S mass ratio were 72.6 degrees C, 1.62 mg/mg, and 12.1 mg/mg, respectively. Under theseconditions, 89.7% of DBT was removed from the reaction mixture with a compositedesirability score of 0.938. From the results, the temperature has the most significant effect onthe oxidative desulfurization reaction. The modelFvalues gave evidence that the quadraticmodel was well-fitted. The reusability of the MOF catalyst in the ODS reaction was tested and demonstrated a gradual loss ofactivity over four runs.

Automated summary

This research investigates the catalytic performance of a metal-organic framework (MOF) with a functionalized ligand, UiO-66-NH2, in the oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) in a model fuel mixture (MFM). The optimal reaction conditions were determined, and the reusability of the MOF catalyst was tested.