Ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization of model fuel oil using HPW/Al2O3/PANI composite: experimental and kinetic modeling
摘要
In the present study, a novel composite catalyst HPW/Al2O3/PANI (γ-Al2O3, phosphotungstic acid (HPW), polyaniline (PANI)) was synthesized via the ultrasonic-assisted method. It was thoroughly characterized using XRD, FTIR, BET-BJH, FE-SEM, EDS, and TGA techniques. The as-synthesized catalyst was applied for ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization to remove benzothiophene and dibenzothiophene from model hydrocarbon fuel. Response surface methodology (RSM), employing the Box–Behnken design (BBD), was utilized to systematically evaluate and optimize the influence of key process variables, including temperature, oxidant/sulfur (mol/mol), and catalyst loading (g/L). It was found the maximum removal of sulfur containing compounds was achieved through oxidant/sulfur (mol/mol.): 4.15, reaction temperature: 52.85 °C and catalyst/fuel (g/L): 3.26. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that the UAOD process followed the pseudo-first-order reaction kinetic model. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibited excellent reusability over five successive cycles, demonstrating high structural stability and potential for practical applications.