Enhanced adsorption selectivity of dibenzothiophene on ordered mesoporous carbon-silica nanocomposites via copper modification

Abstract

In this study, copper-modified ordered mesoporous carbon-silica nanocomposites (MCSs) were synthesized by incipient wetness impregnation of copper nitrate. The desulfurization performance of the as-prepared adsorbents was evaluated by the selective adsorption of dibenzothiophene (DBT) as model sulfur compound from model fuels at ambient conditions. For comparison, the adsorptive desulfurization capacity for copper species supported on pure silica SBA-15 and pure carbonaceous CMK-3 was also investigated, respectively. The results indicate that MCS with 10wt.% of copper performed highest selectivity for DBT in competition with benzene. The significantly enhanced desulfurization performance of MCS could be attributed to its hybrid mesoporous carbon-silica nature which is favorable for high dispersion extent of copper and synergistic effect between the carbon substrate and the supported copper species.