The development and application of catalysts for ultra-deep hydrodesulfurization of diesel

The history and current status of research concerning preparation and application technology for diesel ultra-deep hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts were summarized. As a result of systematic research aimed at understanding the fundamental mechanism of ultra-deep HDS catalysis, various technology for the preparation of HDS catalysts have been developed, including novel alumina supports, as well as methods for tuning the surface properties of catalysts and otherwise modifying these materials so as to improve alkyl transfer performance. The result of these improvements is that a number of ultra-deep HDS catalysts with excellent performance, such as FHUDS-5 and FHUDS-6, have been developed. In addition, parallel research work investigating the interactions between different types of HDS catalysts and different hydrotreatment reactor zones has developed stacked catalyst technology that allows for the optimization of catalytic performance, so as to meet the demands of commercial production facilities for ultra-low-sulfur diesel. (C) 2013, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.