Effect of surface characteristics of different alumina on metal–support interaction and hydrodesulfurization activity

Effect of surface characteristics of two species of commercial γ-alumina (alumina-A and alumina-B) on metal–support interaction and hydrodesulfurization (HDS) activity of the corresponding CoMo catalysts was studied systematically. The HDS activity tests were carried out in a continuous flow fixed-bed micro-reactor. Compared with alumina-A, alumina-B with better crystallinity and less hydroxyl groups can partly inhibit inactive cobalt spinel formation and moderate the metal–support interaction, causing a notable increase in the average slab length and stacking number of MoS2. It stimulates the promoting effect of cobalt on molybdenum and contributes to a noticeable increase in HDS activity.