Abstract:

In this communication, we report a novel strategy to prepare a MoS₂/Al₂O₃ hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalyst by thermally treating a MoS₃/Al₂O₃ precursor in H₂ atmosphere. In our approach, the active phase precursor MoS₃ was first prepared using thioacetamide and sodium molybdate as sources of S and Mo, respectively, and ethanol as a dispersant. The precursor was deposited onto the surface of a γ-Al₂O₃ support and heat-treated to form the catalyst. The catalyst was characterized by N₂ adsorption-desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The HDS activity of the catalyst was assessed using dibenzothiophene as a model reactant. The catalyst possessed larger specific surface area and pore volume, higher dispersion and degree of sulfidation of Mo species, and shorter and more suitable stacking of MoS₂ slabs, resulting in superior catalytic activity compared with a catalyst with the same metal content prepared by the conventional impregnation method. Ethanol could disperse the precursor MoS₃ particles via “S…H-O” H-bonding to lessen their aggregation.

Key words: Hydrodesulfurization catalyst, Hydrolysis, Ethanol-assisted preparation, Molybdenum trisulfide, Molybdenum disulfide