Incorporation of the precursors of Mo and Ni oxides directly into the reaction mixture of sol–gel prepared γ-Al2O3-ZrO2 supports – Evaluation of the sulfided catalysts in the thiophene hydrodesulfurization

Abstract Mo and NiMo oxides supported on γ-Al2O3-ZrO2 were successful one-pot synthesized and characterized by XRF, XRD, N2 sorption, UVVISDRS and Zeta Potential. The sulfide catalysts were evaluated between 240 and 300 °C in the thiophene HDS, used as a model reaction. XRD data evidenced the presence of γ-Al 2 O 3 in the obtained solids, with its crystallinity being reduced with the incorporation of Zr and metallic species. XRD data also indicated that Zr, Ni and Mo were highly dispersed on the support. N 2 sorption and UVVISDRS analyses showed that the one-pot synthesis procedure led to Mo and NiMo supported solids with high SBET areas and to Mo species with a low polymerization degree. Zeta Potential and H2-TPR analyses showed the influence of Ni and Zr in the Mo redox properties that contributed to the well HDS performance of the studied catalysts. The NiMo-γ-Al2O3-ZrO2 catalysts prepared in this work by a one-pot synthesis procedure, especially the NiMo/80A20Z, presented specific activities (QTOF) in the same order that those obtained for a commercial and for a traditional catalyst prepared by wet impregnation. The used one-pot method reduced the synthesis steps, minimizing the preparation time and the energy consumption.