Silica gel- and MCM-41-supported MoS2 catalysts for HDS reactions

MCM-41- and silica gel-supported MoS2 catalysts were prepared. MCM-41 was synthesized and impregnated with precursor, then activated to obtain the active phase. The sol gel method was used for providing the SiO2 support as well as for including the catalyst precursors in one single step of preparation. Such catalysts have applications particularly in hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) processes. A comparison of the activities of the catalysts was made. The catalytic activity results showed the method of preparation used in this study was successful in producing very efficient catalysts for the HDS of dibenzothiophene (DBT). A higher selectivity for direct C-S bond cleavage was observed for the MoS2 catalyst supported on SiO2 by the sol gel method. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the catalysts were poorly crystallized with a very weak intensity of the (002) line of 2H-MoS2.