Preparation of Cu-BDC composite activated carbon materials for efficient removal of sulfur compounds

Abstract

In this study, a composite material denoted as Cu-BDC@AC with a small particle size was synthesized by incorporating Cu-BDC with activated carbon (AC). This integration resulted in an increased specific surface area and enhanced adsorptive desulfurization performance. The maximum static sulfur capacity for n-propanethiol (nP) in the styrene system was 51.9 mg S g⁻¹, while the desulfurization rate for pyrolysis gasoline was approximately 50%. The Cu-BDC@AC material was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms and spectroscopy (XRD, FTIR and XPS) analyses. The adsorption process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics, and is a chemisorption process. The adsorption behavior of nP on Cu-BDC was further analyzed using an internal diffusion model. A possible mechanism for the adsorption of nP on Cu-BDC@AC is proposed: the formation of ligand bonds between Cu and S playing the main role of chemisorption. This work offers a promising strategy for the removal of small-molecular sulfur compounds from unsaturated oils.