Experimental investigation and validation of ultrasound-assisted extractive/oxidative desulfurization of oil using environmentally benign ionic liquid

Abstract

Owing to the increasing use of oil and global air production, a comprehensive development toward producing ultra-clean fuels is increasing daily. One can use some of the most integrated techniques to make ultra-pure oils. The ultrasound-assisted extractive/oxidative desulfurization process possesses appropriate characteristics concerning the oxidant-ionic liquid (IL) system. 1,3-dimethylimidazolium dimethyl phosphate was synthesized, characterized, and used in the UEODS process as a catalyst/extractant. The desulfurization efficiency of 97% and 68% is obtained in the cases of model oil and base oil, respectively. Furthermore, two machine learning models are compared and found to be in good concordance with the experimental observations to validate the experimental findings. Density functional theory proved that the IL has more affinity towards dibenzothiophene sulfone than dibenzothiophene. It also demonstrated that the aromatic rings of IL and S-compounds have CH- π, π-π, and hydrogen bonding interactions. The IL was recycled and reused for ten cycles.