3-D mesoporous titanosilicate support for highly effective hydrodesulfurization catalysts

Titania–silica with disordered 3-D mesoporosity was developed as support for Mo, CoMo and NiMo catalysts. TEM and porosity analyzes were used to insure that the mesostructure is stable after Mo and promoter incorporation. Wide-angle XRD was used to verify MoO3 (and MoS2) dispersion, which indicated crystallite size <40 Å up to 8 wt% Mo. The IR spectral studies were used to determine the nature of Mo species (octahedral and tetrahedral). TPR studies were also used to understand the nature of Mo species and their reducibility. TPD study was used to determine the acidity of the supports. O2-chemisorption was used to analyze the relative metal dispersion on supports of various compositions. The physico-chemical properties were correlated with the catalytic hydrodesulfurization reaction. A comparison with γ-Al2O3, SBA-15 and KIT-6 supported catalysts shows much superior activities of mesoporous titania–silica (MTS) supported catalysts which is attributed to better catalyst dispersion, higher reducibility of Mo, favorable metal-support interactions, higher acidity and better diffusion of reactant and products in case of MTS supported catalysts.

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► Mesoporous titania–silica were developed for hydrodesulfurization catalysts.
► Physico-chemical properties were correlated with the hydrodesulfurization reaction.
► Comparison with other catalysts shows superior activity of mesoporous titania–silica.