Silicon carbide as an efficient photocatalyst for oxidation of dibezothiophene

Sulfur is a natural component in crude oil that is present in gasoline and diesel unless removed. Sulfur in gasoline impairs the effectiveness of emission control systems and contributes to air pollution. Reducing the sulfur content in gasoline enables advanced emission controls and reduces air pollution .Silicon carbide is a semiconductor that can be used as a photocatalyst in oxidation of organic compounds under UV light. This research refers to the synthesis of silicon carbide using cheap natural resources. Photocatalytic oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) with SiC as photocatalyst has been studied at ultraviolet lamp irradiation. The result showed DBT was photo oxidized successfully. The Sol-gel reduction method was employed to synthesize SiC. Si natural source (grass) was mixed with solvent under magnetic stirring, then; the source of C (glucose) was added into the mixed solution. Finally, the gel was dried to obtain the xerogel. The furnace was heated to 700 °C and maintained for 7 h, and then cooled to room temperature. The SiC product was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and BET methods. Results show a mesoporous structure of α-SiC with high surface area. The obtained SiC exhibit an enhanced photocatalytic activity for oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT). It can completely oxidized DBT to corresponding sulfone at short time.