Study on hydrodesulfurization of thiophene over Mo/Al2O3 catalyst presulfided by thiosulfate ammonium

Abstract Ammonium thiosulfate as a novel sulfiding agent was used for presulfidation of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts. The presulfided Mo/Al 2 O 3 catalysts with different molar ratios of S/Mo were prepared by impregnating Mo/Al 2 O 3 catalysts with an aqueous solution of ammonium thiosulfate, followed by drying. Their characteristics of crystal phases, activation, and surface compositions were examined by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The S 2− and S 6+ in ammonium thiosulfate play different roles during the activation of presulfided catalysts. The S 2− sulfides Mo and S 6+ reacts with Al 2 O 3 support, decreasing the interaction of support with the active metal. The collaboration between S 2− and S 6+ ions improves the sulfidation of MoO 3 . The best HDS performance was observed for the presulfided catalyst with S/Mo = 3. Its thiophene HDS activity is 17% higher than that of Mo/Al 2 O 3 catalyst sulfided with H 2 S.