Efficient eco-sustainable ionic liquid-polyoxometalate desulfurization processes for model and real diesel

Abstract

This work presents a successful recycling system based in homogeneous polyoxometalate catalysts to desulfurize model and real diesels. Various Keggin-type polyoxometates entrapped in a room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) phase were investigated. The desulfurization process here proposed conciliates efficiently an extraction and an oxidative catalytic process under sustainable and moderate conditions (H2O2 as oxidant, 50°C). The ionic liquid acts as an extraction solvent and also as an effective immobilization medium for the active homogeneous catalysts. The zinc-polyoxometalates presented high stability and high capacity to be recycled for various consecutive cycles with no loss of desulfurization efficiency. Complete desulfurization of model diesel was achieved at short reaction time (3h). Under the same experimental conditions, 80% of sulfur was removed from real diesel (Sinitial=2300ppm).