Encapsulation of cobalt molybdate on modified hierarchical porous TS-1 zeolite catalyst for efficient oxidative desulfurization of fuel

TS-1 supported cobalt molybdate catalyst (CoMoO4/TS-1-DR) was prepared by a facile dissolution-regrowth strategy. The sulfur removal could reach 100% within 3h over the obtained CoMoO4/TS-1-DR due to the bimodal pore architecture presented by the unique morphology design. [Display omitted] •CoMoO4/TS-1-DR was prepared via a facile dissolution-regrowth strategy.•The unique morphology design presented the bimodal pore architecture of TS-1.•Removal of DBT could reach 100% by CoMoO4/TS-1-DR within 3 h.•CoMoO4/TS-1-DR showed superior cycling stability even after 7 cycles.•O2•− was deduced as the main active species for the conversion of DBT to DBTO2. Morphological modulation of heterogeneous catalysts has been shown to be a useful strategy for adjusting the concentration or intrinsic activity of active sites and their catalytic activity in catalysis. Herein, a hierarchical porous TS-1-supported cobalt molybdate catalyst (CoMoO4/TS-1-DR) was obtained through a facile dissolution-regrowth strategy. In an oxidative desulfurization reaction using O2 as the oxidant, the as-prepared catalyst demonstrated exceptional performance compared to the supported catalyst prepared via the impregnation method due to the bimodal pore architecture presented. Moreover, in situ CoMoO4 synthesis lowers active site leaching, thus showing better reaction stability. After 7 recycles, the removal rate of DBT still remained at 88.8%. This work offers a generic in situ encapsulation strategy for designing hierarchical porous zeolite catalysts and the synthesis of loaded metal oxides.