Tailored monolithic catalyst and reactor by direct photo-curing 3D printing for oxidative desulfurization of fuels

Abstract

Structured monolithic catalysts have attracted growing attention in the petrochemical industry due to significant advantages of reusability, easy scale-up, and high heat and mass transfer rate. 3D printing offers enormous flexibility in accurately regulating the configuration of monolithic catalysts to realize the strengthening of the reaction process. However, this remains challenging in terms of reliable manufacturing, high resolution, and the distribution of active sites. Here, we report a direct photo-curing 3D printing based method for manufacturing precise monolithic catalysts for oxidative desulfurization of fuels. Numerous molybdenum oxide nanoparticles with a high density of oxygen vacancies are spatially distributed in three-dimensional Al2O3 by 3D printing technology and post-treatment, thus favoring the catalytic reaction. This 3D-MoOx/Al2O3 exhibits excellent catalytic performance with a 99.2 % conversion of dibenzothiophene. Furthermore, this tailored catalyst is 3D-printed to manufacture a monolithic agitating impeller as a stirring reactor, which plays a dual role in mixing and catalysis. The study provides an effective strategy for precisely manufacturing structured catalysts with excellent catalytic activity and can be readily applied to a range of chemical reactions.