Hydrodesulfurization catalysis by small metal sulfide particles

Monometallic (Mo, Co and Ni) sulfide particles dispersed in the micropores of zeolites can have a very high initial activity for the hydrodesulfurization of thiophene. Catalyst characterization, using Xe-129 NMR, HREM and Mossbauer Emission Spectroscopy (MES), shows that the location (in- or outside the zeolite pores) and size of the sulfide particles depends strongly on catalyst preparation conditions. The kinetics of thiophene HDS has been studied on metal (Mo, Co, Ph and Pt) sulfides dispersed on a carbon support. The order of thiophene in the HDS reaction appears to be a strong function of metal sulfide and temperature. The catalysts show a large compensation effect.