Catalytic Oxidative and Adsorptive Desulfurization of Heavy Naphtha Fraction

Catalytic removal of sulfur compounds from heavy naphtha (HN) was investigated using a combination of an oxidation process using hydrogen peroxide and an adsorption process using granulated activated carbon (GAC) and white eggshell (WES). This study investigated the impact of changing several operating parameters on the desulfurization efficiency. Specifically, the volume ratio of H2O2 to IAN (0.01 similar to 0.05), agitation speed (U-speed) of the water bath shaker (100-500 +/- 1 rpm), pH of sulfur solution (1 similar to 5), amount of adsorbent (0.1 similar to 2.5 g), desulfurization temperature (25 similar to 85 +/- 1 degrees C) and contact time (10 similar to 180 minutes) were examined. The results indicate that the desulfurization efficiency resulting from catalytic and adsorption processes of GAC is better than that of WES for oxidation and removing sulfur compounds from IAN due to its high surface area. The desulfurization efficiency depends strongly on all investigated operating parameters. The maximum removal efficiency of GAC and WES achieved by this study was 86 and 65, respectively.