Ultradeep hydrodesulfurization of fuel over superior NiMoS phases constructed by a novel Ni(MoS)(CHN) precursor

This article presents novel decyltrimethylammonium bromide-dispersed Ni-Mo sulfide (DTMA-NiMo) as a precursor for preparing an efficient NiMoS/γ-Al 2 O 3 hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalyst. The as-synthesized DTMA-NiMo is a sulfide containing both long-chain quaternary ammonium and Ni-Mo-S elements. The proposed method not only significantly improves the dispersion of Mo species but also greatly promotes the incorporation of Ni into MoS 2 slabs, leading to an increase in the number of NiMoS phases. As a result, the DTMA-NiMo-based NiMoS/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst exhibits much higher activity for the HDS of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) diesel than NiMoS/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts prepared by the co-impregnation and tetrapropylammonium bromide (TPAB)-assisted methods. This novel strategy sheds a light on the facile and low-cost preparation of superior NiMoS phases without sulfidation treatment. Ni(MoS 4 ) 2 (C 13 H 30 N) 2 was synthesized and adopted for preparing a NiMoS/γ-Al 2 O 3 hydrodesulfurization catalyst, and the as-prepared catalyst exhibits superior 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization activity.