Liquid phase oxidation of dibenzothiophene with alumina-supported vanadium oxide catalysts: An alternative to deep desulfurization of diesel

Alumina-supported vanadium oxide catalysts were prepared by different methods as thermal spreading, incipient wetness impregnation of ammonium metavanadate and sol–gel synthesis of alkoxide precursors, with different vanadium loadings, in order to increase the performance in oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of dibenzothiophene. The catalysts were characterized by several techniques: X-ray diffraction, UV–vis DRS, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR of adsorbed pivalonitrile, and TPR. As additional experimental techniques, SEM–EDX and N2 adsorption–desorption were applied, to obtain elemental analyses and textural properties. Results evidenced the presence of different superficial V species, which depend on both vanadium loading and preparation method, while significant differences in ODS activity were observed due to the catalysts preparation method.