Study of the adsorption reactions of thiophene on Cu(I)/HY-Al2O3 by Fourier transform infrared and temperature-programmed desorption: adsorption, desorption, and sorbent regeneration mechanisms.

This work mainly involved the investigation of the adsorption of thiophene on Cu(I)-supported HY-Al(2)O(3). It demonstrated a high sulfur capacity of 10 mg sulfur/g sorbent when the HY/Al(2)O(3) mass ratio was 3, loaded with 12% copper, calcined at 550 °C, and tested at ambient temperature. In situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) results indicated that the adsorption mechanisms on Cu(I)/HY-Al(2)O(3) primarily were π-complexation and sulfur-adsorbent (S-M; σ) bonds. Pyridine-FTIR showed the total weak Lewis acid contribution to the Cu(I)/HY-Al(2)O(3) adsorption desulfurization performance.