The effect of additives on hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene over bulk molybdenum sulfide: Increased catalytic activity in the presence of phenol

The effect of various additive organic reagents on the activation of MoS3 as molybdenum sulfide catalyst precursor during hydrodesulfurization reaction of dibenzothiophene was studied. It was found that the presence of phenol or 1-naphthol greatly promoted the activity of the catalyst, while tetralin, 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene, ethylbenzene, and pyridine reagents were found to be detrimental for the activity of the catalyst.