Green Diesel Desulfurization Process in a Basket Reactor over Eco-Friendly Tin Oxide–ZSM-5 Zeolite

Abstract

This study is related to the preparation of an environmentally friendly ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst from waste materials for the process of diesel desulfurization. This material was tested for catalytic performance under different conditions including variations in the temperature, initial sulfur concentration (IC), and reaction time. The optimized synthesis at a temperature of 170°C and crystallization time of 96 h yielded ZSM-5 zeolite with a high BET (Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller) surface area and excellent thermal stability. The SnO₂ addition further enhanced the catalyst performance without changing its structure. Desulfurization experiments were performed using a green oxidizer, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), at four different temperatures, namely, 25, 50, 75, and 100°C, and at three sulfur concentrations (300, 450, and 600 ppm). The obtaned results showed that sulfur removal efficiency increased as the temperature, IC, and reaction time increased, reaching the maximum (93.33%) at 100°C, IC equal to 600 ppm, and reaction time of 100 min. Thus, SnO₂-modified ZSM-5 was shown to be an environmentally friendly and highly active catalyst for the diesel desulfurization processes under adjusted precise reaction conditions.