Petroleum and diesel sulfur degradation under gamma radiation

Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is currently the most common method used by refineries to remove sulfur compounds from petroleum fractions. However, it is not highly effective for removing thiophene compounds such as benzothiophene. Additionally, this process generates high costs for the oil industry. In the present work, ionizing radiation was used in order to study the effect on the degradation of petroleum and diesel sulfur compounds. Crude oil and diesel fuel samples were studied, without any pretreatment, and irradiated using a cobalt-60 gamma cell in a batch system at absorbed doses of 30 kGy and 50 kGy. The sulfur compounds were extracted and then analyzed by gas chromatography associated with mass spectrometry (GCMS). A high efficiency of ionizing radiation was observed regarding the degradation of sulfur compounds such as benzothiophene and benzenethiol and the formation of fragments, for example 1.2-dimethylbenzene and toluene.