Deep HDS over NiMo/Zr-SBA-15 catalysts with varying MoO 3 loading

Abstract

In the present work, with the aim of searching for new, highly effective catalysts for deep HDS, a series of NiMo catalysts with different MoO 3 loadings (6–30 wt.%) was prepared using SBA-15 material covered with ZrO 2-monolayer as a support. Prepared catalysts were characterized by N 2 physisorption, small- and wide-angle XRD, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction, SEM-EDX and HRTEM, and their catalytic activity was evaluated in the 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization (HDS). It was observed that ZrO 2 incorporation on the SBA-15 surface improves the dispersion of the Ni-promoted oxidic and sulfided Mo species, which were found to be highly dispersed, up to 18 wt.% of MoO 3 loading. Further increase in metal charge resulted in the formation of MoO 3 crystalline phase and an increase in the stacking degree of the MoS 2 particles. All NiMo catalysts supported on ZrO 2-modified SBA-15 material showed high activity in HDS of 4,6-DMDBT. The best catalyst having 18 wt.% MoO 3 and 4.5 wt.% NiO was almost twice more active than the reference NiMo/γ-Al 2O 3 catalyst. High activity of NiMo/Zr-SBA-15 catalysts and its evolution with metal loading was related to the morphological characteristics of the MoS 2 active phase determined by HRTEM.