Characterization by XRD High Resolution Electron Microscopy of Hydrodesulfuration Catalysts

Abstract

AbstractRecently a lot of work has attempted to correlate the activity of Co and Mo sulfide catalysts with observations of high resolution electron microscopy. Hydrodesulfuration (HDS) bulk sulfide catalysts are specially suited for this type of study. We prepared unsupported molybdenum sulfide by three methods: the homogeneous sulfide precipitation (HSP) (1), co-maceration (CM) (2), and impregnated thiosalt decomposition (ITD) (3). Pure cobalt sulfide was prepared only by HSP, and two Co-Mo sulfides in the ratios of 0.3 and 0.5 at. % were prepared by HSP and ITD. The samples were treated with a mixture of 20% H2S/H2 for 4 hrs. at 400 C. In all Co/Co+Mo mixtures the presence of Co9S8 and MoS2 was identified in both, ESP and ITD treatments. Characterization was done by high resolutibn electron microscopy. The ITD method can be considered a better method, as opposed to ESP for the preparation of mixed catalysts. This method produces poorly crystalline specimens that are usually associated to higher chemical activity.