Preparation of SO42−/ZrO2 solid superacid and oxidative desulfurization using K2FeO4

A catalyst comprising SO42–/ZrO2 (SZ) superacid was prepared by impregnation and characterized by FT-IR, FT IR-pyridine desorption, TG/DTA, XRD, SEM, and BET. A novel procedure for oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of simulated light fuel oil and straight-run gasoline using K2FeO4 over the SZ solid superacid was developed. The effects of the support, calcination temperature, impregnation liquid, concentration, and K2FeO4 and SZ amounts on catalyst activity for desulfurization were investigated. The presence of highly dispersed acidic sites over the support, a huge area of catalyst, and the formation of a tetragonal structure play an important role in ODS using K2FeO4. The catalyst subjected to impregnation with 0.8 mol/L H2SO4, supported on ZrO2, and calcined at 600 °C exhibited the best performance. At a temperature of 30 °C, SZ of 0.2 g, K2FeO4 of 0.2 g, and reaction time of 30 min, the straight-run gasoline desulfurization rate reached 89.2 %, and the residual sulfur content was 18.3 mg/L.