Deep desulfurization of model gasoline by selective adsorption over Cu–Ce bimetal ion-exchanged Y zeolite

Fuel Processing Technology, Volume 116, December 2013, Pages 52–62
Deep desulfurization of model gasoline by selective adsorption over Cu–Ce bimetal ion-exchanged Y zeolite
Hua Song (a,b), Xia Wan (a,c), Min Dai (a,c), Jiaojing Zhang (a), Feng Li (a,b), Hualin Song (d)
a College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing 163318, China
b Provincial Key Laboratory of Oil & Gas Chemical Technology, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing 163318, Heilongjiang, China
c CPE Survey and Design Institute of Xinjiang Oil, Karamay 834000, Xinjiang, China
d Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Treatment of Heilongjiang Province, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang 157011, China
Abstract
Researchers created adsorbents using liquid-phase ion-exchange of Y zeolites with Cu, Ce and combined Cu–Ce metal ions. They explored adsorptive desulfurization properties of the adsorbents in a fixed-bed unit through a model gasoline composed of 1-octane solution of refractory sulfur compounds  and amounts of toluene, pyridine or cyclohexene. Results indicate that Cu^ICe^IVY not only has a high sulfur adsorption capacity similar to Cu^IY but also has a high selectivity for sulfur compounds similar to Ce^IVY.
For each sorbent, the selectivity of adsorption of sulfur compounds from liquid solutions followed the order: benzothiophene > thiophene. The effect on the metal ion-exchanged Y zeolites for sulfur removal was in the order: pyridine > cyclohexene > toluene. The high selectivity of Cu^ICe^IVY for sulfur removal can be attributed to the synergistic interaction between Cu⁺ and Ce^{4 +}. The Cu^ICe^IVY zeolite binds organic sulfur compounds through two types of adsorption modes: π-complexation and direct coordination (S–M) interaction.
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