Preparation of Nickel Phosphide Hydrodesulfurization Catalysts Assisted by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Abstract

To meet the increasing demand for clean fuels, deep hydrotreatment reactions are required, and thereby, improvement of the performance of the catalysts is highly desired. Silica-supported nickel phosphide (Ni2P) nanoparticles have been reported to be efficient catalysts for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) reactions. We propose herein an innovative preparation method assisted by supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) to produce highly active Ni2P nanoparticles combining small size and high reducibility. In addition, scCO2 promotes the formation of the Ni2P phase with respect to the less active Ni12P5 phase. Such phosphide catalysts exhibit high activity for the HDS of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene, with a rate constant up to one order of magnitude higher than that of non-supercritical references and close to conventional alumina supported NiMoS catalyst.