Highly active ReS2/γ-Al2O3 catalysts: Effect of calcination and activation over thiophene hydrodesulfurization

The effect of activation conditions on alumina-supported rhenium sulfide catalysts on their activity for thiophene hydrodesulfurization has been studied. The results showed that activation using H2S/N2 leads to ReS2/γ-Al2O3 catalysts with a higher activity than an industrial NiMo catalyst. Characterization by temperature-programmed reduction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the higher activity of the catalysts activated by H2S/N2 is associated with a higher sulfur content and probably related to different ReSx phases.