N-doped honeycomb-like porous carbon derived from biomass as an efficient carbocatalyst for H2S selective oxidation

Abstract

3D interconnected porous N-doped carbocatalyst derived from the waste air-laid paper plays as an efficient metal-free catalyst for H2S removal in super-Claus reaction. The honeycomb-like porous nitrogen-doped carbons are fabricated through a facile impregnation of alkaline solution and NH3 post-treatment method. The experiments prove that NH3 post-treatment is an efficient way to improve the catalytic performance, which resulting in outstanding reactivity and stability with highest sulfur formation rate of 496.6 gsulfurkgcat.−1 h−1 and sulfur yield of 86.7 % in feed gas with high concentration (ca. 10,000 ppm) of H2S for selective oxidation. Significantly, the optimized pyridinic-N content and defect degree endow the N-doped porous carbon (NPC700) with highest catalytic activity according to the Raman and XPS results. The high surface area and abundant porous structure also contribute to the high catalytic performance by increasing the exposure degree of active site and offering additional active surface. Based on the XPS, SEM, TEM and EDS mapping results, the N-doped porous carbon are proved to be stable catalysts since the morphology and surface chemical environment remain similar after the oxidative desulfurization process.