Simultaneous operation of dibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization and methanol reforming reactions over Pd promoted alumina based catalysts

In the current study simultaneous reactions of hydrodesulfurization(HDS) of dibenzothiophene(DBT) and reforming of methanol in a micro-autoclave reactor were studied over bi-metallic(Co-Mo/Al2O3 and Ni-Mo/Al2O3) and tri-metallic(Pd-Co-Mo/Al2O3 and Pd-Ni-Mo/Al2O3) catalyst systems which were prepared by incipient impregnation method.In situ hydrogen utilization and low Pd loadings were the major targets of this study.For comparison purpose,catalytic activity was separately determined for both the methanol reforming and HDS of DBT reactions as well.Ni based catalysts were confirmed with better activity than Co ones for both the reactions with Pd promoted ones ranking at the top i.e.Pd-Ni-Mo/Al2O3 > Ni-Mo/Al2O3 > Pd-Co-Mo/Al2O3 > Co-Mo/Al2O3 where Pd-Ni-Mo/Al2O3 showed 91% DBT conversion at 380 ℃ and 12 h reaction time.Some of the selected organic additives on catalytic activity were tested for their effect toward HDS reaction which was unique with close relation to their chemical nature.Reaction products were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed via HPLC and GC-MS techniques respectively which helped in elucidating reaction mechanism.

Oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene over Fe promoted Co–Mo/Al_2O_3 and Ni–Mo/Al_2O_3 catalysts using hydrogen peroxide and formic acid as oxidants

This work reports the enhancing effect of a highly cost effective and efficient metal, Fe, incorporation to Co or Ni based Mo/Al2O3 catalysts in the oxidative desulfurization （ODS） of dibenzothiophene （DBT） using H2O2 and formic acid as oxidants. The influence of operating parameters i.e. reaction time, catalyst dose, reaction temperature and oxidant amount on oxidation process was investigated. Results revealed that 99% DBT conversion was achieved at 60℃ and 150 min reaction time over Fe-Ni-Mo/Al2O3. Fe tremendously enhanced the ODS activity of Co or Ni based Mo/Al2O3 catalysts following the activity order：Fe-Ni-Mo/Al2O3 〉 Fe-Co-Mo/Al2O3 〉 Ni-Mo/Al2O3 〉 Co-Mo/Al2O3, while H2O2 exhibited higher oxidation activity than formic acid over all catalyst systems. Insight about the surface morphology and textural properties of fresh and spent catalysts were achieved using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, energy dispersive X-ray （EDX） analysis, Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy （AAS） and BET surface area analysis, which helped in the interpretation of experimental data. The present study can be deemed as an effective approach on industrial level for ODS of fuel oils crediting to its high efficiency, low process/catalyst cost, safety and mild operating condition.

Superabsorbent Capability and High Retention Ability of China Clay(Kaolinite)/Polyacrylic Acid Composites for Aqueous Solution

Majority of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) yet reported either have low gel strength or high production cost. Therefore, we synthesized a novel polyacrylic acid-grafted China clay (Kaolinite) super-absorbent polymer composite (SAPC) with high thermal stability, low cost of production and superior sorption and retention capability for water and salt solution. The resulting SAPCs were extensively characterized and analysed by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results suggested that the composites were thermally stable. Water absorbency increased with increase of clay content up to 45%, while further increase in clay content decreased the water absorbency. Percentage of acrylic acid (AA) and clay by weight shows the optimum absorbency in 35% and 40% respectively. Crosslinker and initiator contents were optimized to be 0.5% and 0.3% by weight respectively. The resulting polymer composite showed high water absorbency of about 785 g/g and 103 g/g of 1% NaCl solution with above 90% retention ability at 50 oC.