The Preparation of Ni/ZnO Adsorbent via a Low-Temperature Solid-State Method for Ultra-deep Desulfurization

Abstract One novel synthetic approach has been proposed to prepare Ni/ZnO adsorbent via low-temperature solid-state reaction. Thermal analysis (thermogravimetry differential scanning calorimetry [TG-DSC]) revealed that the nickel–zinc oxalate precursor obtained is a single-phase composite oxalate. Transmission electron microscopy analysis (TEM) shows that the NiO/ZnO composite materials are composed of nanoparticles with good dispersivity, whereas the elements of Ni and Zn are well distributed. The activity evaluation indicates that the Ni/ZnO adsorbent has good ultra-deep desulfurization activity of removing organic sulfur compounds. The sulfur concentration in the treated gasoline is less than 1.0 μg/g, which meets the need of ultra-low-sulfur fuels for use in fuel cells.