preparation and characterization of mcm-41 supported molybdenum oxide nano-catalyst and its performance in catalytic oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene

in this paper, molybdenum oxide supported on mesoporous silica (mcm-41) has been successfully synthesized by impregnation method. the obtained nano-catalyst was characterized using x-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectra and field emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray technique, and finally applied to catalytic oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (dbt) of model oil. the results indicated that molybdenum oxide species as the ods active sites were highly dispersed on meporous silica surface. the influence of main operating parameters of reaction including the catalyst dosage, oxidant/sulfur molar ratio, reaction time and reaction temperature on the conversion of dbt, as well as reusability of the nano-catalyst were investigated. under mild reaction conditions, the prepared catalyst exhibited excellent performance in oxidative desulfurization of dbt. on the basis results, the reaction mechanism of catalytic oxidation of dbt in presence this catalyst was proposed.