A new simple protocol for the synthesis of nanohybrid catalyst for oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene.

This study offers an investigation of the catalytic activity of TiO2/SiO2 during oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of a model fuel that includes dibenzothiophene (DBT), using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a green oxidant in the absence of UV irradiation. For the first time, though a novel and simple protocol, TiO2/SiO2 nanohybrid was synthesized using ascorbic acid and glycerol as green complexing and polymerizing agents, respectively. The TiO2/SiO2 catalyst was thoroughly characterized by XRD, FT-IR, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements, TEM, FESEM, and TGA. Results revealed a high catalytic oxidative activity for the catalyst in the removal of DBT regarding sulfur removal up to 99.4% within 20 min under optimum reaction conditions. The main factors affecting the ODS process, including catalyst dosage, temperature, O/S molar ratio, and different oxidizing agents, were evaluated to identify optimum conditions. The desulfurization efficiency of the recoverable catalysts showed no loss in activity after four times. The present article suggests a new and green method for the synthesis and characterization of an efficient catalyst (TiO2/SiO2) in deep oxidative desulfurization at 25 °C and removal of refractory organosulfur compounds that yield ultra-low sulfur fuels. Also, it proved to have a much higher catalytic oxidation capacity when compared to pure TiO2.