High Catalytic Efficiency of a Layered Coordination Polymer to Remove Simultaneous Sulfur and Nitrogen Compounds from Fuels

• Published in: Catalysts 2020-07, Vol.10 (7), p.731
• Main Authors: Mirante, Fátima, Mendes, Ricardo F., Paz, Filipe A. Almeida, Balula, Salete S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalysts; Chemical reactions; Composite materials; Conversion; Coordination polymers; Denitrogenation; denitrogenation extraction; Desulfurizing; Diesel fuels; Efficiency; Emissions; Gadolinium; Hydrogen peroxide; Investigations; Ionic liquids; Lamellar structure; lanthanides; layered coordination polymer; Ligands; Methods; Morphology; Nitrogen; Nitrogen compounds; oxidative desulfurization; Oxidizing agents; Particle size; Pollutants; Solvent extraction processes; Sulfur; Sulfur compounds; Sulfur content
• ISSN: 2073-4344; 2073-4344
• DOI: 10.3390/catal10070731

An ionic lamellar coordination polymer based on a flexible triphosphonic acid linker, [Gd(H4nmp)(H2O)2]Cl2 H2O (1) (H6nmp stands for nitrilo(trimethylphosphonic) acid), presents high efficiency to remove sulfur and nitrogen pollutant compounds from model diesel. Its oxidative catalytic performance was investigated using single sulfur (1-BT, DBT, 4-MDBT and 4,6-DMDBT, 2350 ppm of S) and nitrogen (indole and quinolone, 400 ppm of N) model diesels and further, using multicomponent S/N model diesel. Different methodologies of preparation followed (microwave, one-pot, hydrothermal) originated small morphological differences that did not influenced the catalytic performance of catalyst. Complete desulfurization and denitrogenation were achieved after 2 h using single model diesels, an ionic liquid as extraction solvent ([BMIM]PF6) and H2O2 as oxidant. Simultaneous desulfurization and denitrogenation processes revealed that the nitrogen compounds are more easily removed from the diesel phase to the [BMIM]PF6 phase and consequently, faster oxidized than the sulfur compounds. The lamellar catalyst showed a high recycle capacity for desulfurization. The reusability of the diesel/H2O2/[BMIM]PF6 system catalyzed by lamellar catalyst was more efficient for denitrogenation than for desulfurization process using a multicomponent model diesel. This behavior is not associated with the catalyst performance but it is mainly due to the saturation of S/N compounds in the extraction phase.