Deep desulfurization of model gasoline by selective adsorption on Ag+/Al-MSU-S

The desulfurization of model gasoline containing 600 ppmw thiophene or dibenzothiophene (DBT) by selective adsorption over Ag+ exchanged mesoporous material Al-MSU-S was studied in a fixed adsorbent bed at ambient temperature and pressure. The results showed that the sulfur capacity increased with Al content incorporated in the silicate framework and Ag+ exchange can effectively improve the desulfurization performance. The best adsorbent, Ag+/20%Al-MSU-S, has adsorption capacity of 5 or 20 ml model gasoline containing thiophene or DBT per gram adsorbent, respectively, before the detection limit in our experiments, as a result of π-complexation. The adsorbent can be regenerated more than six times by simple calcination in air at 350 °C without obvious losing the sulfur adsorption capacity.