On the synergy between tungsten and molybdenum in the W-incorporated CoMo/γ-Al2O3 hydrodesulfurization catalysts Original Research Article

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of incorporation of tungsten on an already prepared CoMo/γ-Al2O3 hydrodesylfurization catalyst (base catalyst). The evaluation of W-incorporated CoMo/γ-Al2O3 is described, in relation to the base catalyst, concerning their activities for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of thiophene and hydrogenation (HYG) of its unsaturated products towards butane. The main conclusion of this study is that incorporation of a low amount of tungsten onto CoMo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst increases its HDS and HYG activities. A synergy has not been found between Mo- and W-phase. The W-loading for which the maximum activity is observed highly depends on the details of the preparation method used.