Catalytic decomposition of dibenzothiophene sulfone over K-based oxides supported on alumina

Abstract

A series of K-based oxide catalysts supported on aluminium oxide (γ-Al₂O₃) with different surface areas were synthesized using an impregnation method and investigated by the decomposition of sulfones from oxidized diesel fuels. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms, CO₂-TPD and HR-SEM methods to explore the relationship between the structure of the catalysts and sulfone conversion. The results showed that the K element was highly dispersed on the surface of γ-Al₂O₃. The prepared catalyst was further applied in the decomposition reaction of dibenzothiophene sulfone (DBTS) to evaluate the catalytic performance. The sulfone conversion could achieve 63.9% in 10% K₂O/3-Al₂O₃ within 20-minute reaction time at 260 °C. Moreover, our experimental test showed that the sulfone conversion was linearly correlated with the logarithm of the total basic sites of the K₂O/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst.