Adsorptive desulfurization of thiophene using Cu-CNF slurry in a coiled flow inverter with recycling

Abstract

This study presents an alternative to adsorptive desulphurization (ADS) process in packed beds by making use of enhanced radial mixing prevalent in coiled flow inverter (CFI). We describe the synthesis of Cu-tartrate as the precursor for Cu-carbon nanofiber (Cu-CNF) and the application thereof in ADS of liquid fuels in a CFI. Thiophene was removed from n-hexane using a slurry of Cu-CNF in the liquid. The data show the sulfur (S) - loading of 103 mg/g in Cu-CNF at 2000 ppmw-S concentration of thiophene in the liquid at 120 cc/min flowrate using five CFI units connected in series. Recycling was introduced for the first time in CFI, and three CFI units connected in series with the recycle ratio of 2 were sufficient to achieve the same removal efficiency as with five CFI without recycling. The results indicate that CFI is an efficient technology and has potential to replace packed bed adsorbers.