Adsorptive desulfurization of gas oil over Cu2O AC ZnO AC and NiO AC adsorbents

Abstract EN

In the present work, Iraqi gasoil fraction was treated by using three prepared metal-impregnated activated carbon adsorbents for sulfur removal using adsorptive desulfurization method.

In the first experimental section, commercial activated carbon was loaded individually with copper, zinc and nickel oxides and reaches the form of Cu2O, ZnO and NiO respectively.

XRD, BET, surface area and metal content were determined for the three prepared adsorbents.

The three prepared metal loaded adsorbents were tested for sulfur removal from Iraqi gasoil fuel via batch mode and continuous mode.

In continuous operation, fixed bed adsorber packed individually with the three prepared adsorbents was used and breakthrough curves were generated.

The results of the present study indicate that the desulfurization enhanced when metals zinc, copper and nickel were loaded onto activated carbon surface.

Sulfur adsorption uptake by the three adsorbents followed the order Cu2O > ZnO > NiO (the highest desulfurization percent obtained via continuous mode for Cu2O, ZnO and NiO were 69.7%, 67.47% and 60.7% respectively).

Moreover, it was exhibited that for batch mode experiments by increasing the adsorbent's concentration enhanced the sulfur removal by a noticeable amount.

Whilst for the continuous mode experiments, it dealt mainly with contact time; thereby the maximum desulfurization percentage was obtained at the first 15 minutes