Effect of Potassium Content on the Performance of CoMo/Al2O3-MgO-K2O(x) Catalysts in Hydrodesulfurization of Dibenzothiophene

A series of CoMo catalysts supported on Al2O3-MgO modified with different amounts of potassium were prepared with the aim to study the influence of the content of that basic modifier on the physicochemical characteristics of the materials and its correlation with the observed catalytic performance....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Industrial & engineering chemistry research 2011-03, Vol.50 (5), p.2755-2761
Main Authors: Solís-Casados, D, Escobar, J, Orozco, I. García, Klimova, T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Materials and Interfaces
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Summary:A series of CoMo catalysts supported on Al2O3-MgO modified with different amounts of potassium were prepared with the aim to study the influence of the content of that basic modifier on the physicochemical characteristics of the materials and its correlation with the observed catalytic performance. It was assumed that potassium addition would enhance the textural and structural stability to the magnesium formulations and also decrease the number of acidic sites and their strength. Materials were characterized by N2 physisorption, X-ray powder diffraction, thermodesorption of pyridine, and scanning electron microscopy. Catalytic performance was evaluated in the hydrodesulfurization reaction (HDS) using dibenzothiophene (DBT) as a model molecule. Results show that the addition of a small amount of potassium (below 5 wt % of the catalytic formulation of potassium oxide) decreases acidity of the catalytic formulation and enhances the direct desulfurization pathway of dibenzothiophene HDS.
ISSN:0888-5885
1520-5045
DOI:10.1021/ie100682x