Study on the catalytic oxidative deep desulfurization of diesel with WO₃/ZrO₂ solid superacid

Using WO₃/ZrO₂ solid superacid as catalyst, the performance of H₂O₂/WO₃/ZrO₂ system on the catalytic oxidative deep desulfurization of diesel were studied. The technical parameters, such as the amount of oxidant, the dosage of catalyst, the reaction temperature and the reaction time were investigated. Furthermore, the power ultrasound was introduced to enhance the process. The effects of ultrasonic frequency, intensity and time on the desulfurization were investigated. The experiment results revealed that under the optimum oxidative desulfurization conditions of oxidation temperature 60°C, reaction time 90 min, the oxidant dosage V(H₂O₂):V(diesel)= 1:10 and the catalyst dosage 15 g/L diesel, after extraction of oxidized diesel the removal efficiency of sulfur compounds was up to 91.0%. The oxidation time with ultrasound were shortened to 40 min and the removal efficiency of sulfur compounds was increased to 95.6%.