Hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene using CoMoS

The hydrodesulphurization (HDS) of crude oils is an important industrial process to remove sulfur from fuels. In this study, DBT was used as a model compound to study the removal of sulfur from a decahydronaphthalene solution. The catalyst was synthesized through low pressure pathways in the absence of H2S. All the synthesized catalyst were investigated using a combination of SEM, RAMAN spectroscopy, and XRD. The materials were studied for their ability to remove DBT from solution and the reaction products were analyzed. It was observed that the major reaction pathway was the direct desulphurization pathway and zero order reaction kinetics was observed for the HDS process. Furthermore, a rate constant of 2.3 x 10-6 moles (DBT)/s g (of catalyst) with a final removal above 90% was observed.