Desulfurization of Real Fuel Oils by Extraction with Ionic Liquids

Separation Science and Technology               , DOI: 10.1080/01496395.2013.804559, Accepted author version posted online: 18 Jun 2013
Desulfurization of Real Fuel Oils by Extraction with Ionic Liquids
Charles Asumana, Md Razibul Haque, Xinying Wu, Xiaochun Chen & Guangren Yu*
Beijing Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Technology & College of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology , Beijing , China
Abstract
Describes investigation of aromatic 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([C₄mim][N(CN)₂]) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([C₂mim][N(CN)₂]) ionic liquids for their performance in the extractive desulfurization of real FCC gasoline and diesel fuel.
Because [C₄mim][N(CN)₂] is more effective than [C₂mim][N(CN)₂] in removing sulfur from fuels, researchers selected it to conduct a series of further tests. They achieved a desulfurization efficiency of nearly 40%, while 30% was achieved with [C₄mim][N(CN)₂] for diesel fuel and gasoline, respectively, in a single extraction at < 1 h, 25°C, and 1:1(w/w)IL:fuel. The high efficiency obtained at low temperature, along with the insensitivity of the Nernst partition coefficient on desulfurization efficiency, is industrially favorable, since minimal energy and cost are required. The influence of mass ratios is not obvious.  However, the Nernst partition coefficients depend on the mass ratio to a certain degree. This would indicate that this extraction is not a completely physically-determined extraction.
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