Desulfurization is an important step in the industry to remove sulfur contents in crude oil to decrease the environmental impact of fuel combustion. Hydrodesulfurization is commonly used in the industry. However, Hydrodesulfurization requires high temperature and the use of precious metals as catalysts. On the other hand, oxidative desulfurization (ODS) could be operated at milder conditions with only Lewis acid as the catalyst. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been employed in the ODS process. However, most of the reported examples still require heating (above 60 °C). We have recently discovered that the hierarchically porous Zr-based MOF (HP-Zr-MOF) is able to obliterate the refractory organosulfur compounds at room temperature. The superior performance of HP-Zr-MOF, among other MOFs, makes it a promising candidate for practical application in the ODS process. We have compared the HP-Zr-MOF with other Zr-based MOFs and found that the pore size and the pore shape are not the control factors for the performance of the ODS process. HP-Zr-MOF produced more OH radicals compared to other reported materials, which is the primary driving force to oxidize organosulfur compounds at room temperature.

Highly efficient desulfurization using Zr-based MOFs

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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