Molecular analysis of nitrogen-containing compounds in vacuum gas oils hydrodenitrogenation by (ESI plus /-)-FTICR-MS

This paper is a part of a study on reactivity descriptors in vacuum gas oil hydrotreatment (VGO HDT). It aims to understand the differences in feeds of various process origins and the corresponding hydrotreated effluents on a molecular level. Four different vacuum gas oils were hydrotreated over a sulfided NiMo/Al2O3 catalyst at a wide range of temperatures and residence times in order to collect HDT effluents at a broad range of hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) conversions. Vacuum gas oils and HDT effluents have been analyzed by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) in positive ESI(+) and negative ESI(-) electrospray ionization modes to characterize the basic and neutral nitrogen-containing species and the subtleties of HDT transformations depending on the feedstock type.

Automated summary

This study aims to understand the molecular level differences in vacuum gas oil hydrotreatment process and characterize basic and neutral nitrogen-containing species in VGO and HDT effluents using FTICR-MS, exploring the subtleties of HDT transformations depending on the feedstock type.