Slurry-phase hydrotreating of waste oil to bio-hydrogenated diesel using in situ oil-soluble MoS2 nanoparticles

The oil-soluble MoS2 nanoparticles were prepared by hydrolysis of cottonseed acidic oil (CAO) and adopted in situ as the catalysts for slurry-phase hydrotreating of CAO to produce bio-hydrogenated diesel (BHD). The catalytic performance of MoS2 nanoparticles was evaluated and correlated with their morphological characteristics. The results demonstrated that the particle size and morphology of MoS2 nanoparticles were obviously dependent on the sulfurization temperature during preparation. The nanoparticles prepared at lower temperature, such as 240 °C (MoS2-240), had excellent dispersion in CAO, and their average particle size was 169 nm, exhibiting mono-slabs or double-slabs with an average slab length of 6.1 nm. The catalytic performance of MoS2 nanoparticles showed a good correlation with their dispersion. The CAO conversion of 98 w% and the BHD yield of more than 82 w% were obtained at a MoS2-240 dosage of 500 μg/g, a reaction temperature of 380 °C, an initial H2 pressure of 5 MPa, and a residence time of 1 h. •Oil-soluble MoS2 were applied in slurry-phase hydrotreating to produce BHD.•Average size of MoS2-240 was 168.9 nm, showing double-slabs with length of 6.1 nm.•Catalytic performance of MoS2 showed a good correlation with their dispersion.•Conversion of 98 % and BHD yield of 82 % were obtained at MoS2 dosage of 500 μg/g.