Preparation of Organic Sulfur Adsorbent from Coal for Adsorption of Dibenzothiophene-type Compounds in Diesel Fuel

Abstract

High-performance organic sulfur adsorbents (OSA) have been prepared from coal by chemical activation for selective adsorption of the refractory sulfur compounds, such as 4-methyl dibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene, in diesel fuel. The performance of the prepared OSAs for adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) was evaluated in batch and flow adsorption systems at room temperature using a model diesel fuel. It was found that coal rank and preparation conditions, including activation agents (NaOH, KOH, and NaOH + KOH) and their ratio to coal, activation temperature, and time have significant impacts on the yield and ADS performance of the OSAs. The high-performance OSAs can be prepared from different ranks of coal by using NaOH + KOH as an activation agent with an activating-agent-to-coal ratio of 3.5. The yield of OSA increased in the order of lignite < high volatile bituminous coal < medium volatile bituminous coal < anthracite. The OSA-A, which was derived from an anthracite with the highest yiel...