Oxidative desulfurization of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene over short titanate nanotubes: a non-classical shape selective catalysis

A non-classical shape selective catalyst of short-H-TiNTs was synthesized by the hydrothermal method at 150 °C for 48 h and acid-assisted treatment of HCl solution (0.01–0.4 mol/L) The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption–desorption and Raman spectroscopy analyses, and their catalytic performances were studied in the presence of 1-octylene, methylbenzene, or cyclohexane in the model oil. These catalysts were able to remove almost all the sulfur-containing complex in diesel for 30 min with high selectivity, at 45 °C, n(H2O2) /n(4,6-DMDBT) molar ratio of 4, and v(oil)/v(methanol) = 1:1. And the improved catalytic active sites of Ti-η1-hydroperoxo complexes in short-H-TiNTs were supposed to the key reason of the high selectivity just like a shape selective catalyst.