OREANDA-NEWS  MSU chemists have developed a catalyst with a heterogeneous composition, which allows to effectively remove sulfur impurities from gasoline. According to the authors, the development is comparable to the highest quality analogues in efficiency and surpasses them in efficiency. The results of the study are published in ACS Omega.

Impurities of sulfur compounds in fuel form toxic volatile oxides during combustion, therefore, the content of sulfur compounds in fuel is strictly regulated by legislation worldwide.

To date, for the removal of sulfur and its compounds from petroleum products, the technology of hydrotreating – the treatment of gasoline or diesel fuel with hydrogen - has become widespread in the industry. The disadvantages of this procedure, according to MSU scientists, include the need to create and maintain high values of temperature and pressure, as well as to look for a source of cheap hydrogen. Only large oil refineries can afford to maintain such a system for removing sulfur from fuel. It is advantageous for smaller enterprises to carry out two-stage oxidative desulfurization of gasoline, which does not require the use of hydrogen and high energy costs; it is cheaper and more environmentally friendly. Fuel purification requires the presence of a catalyst in the system, which determines the speed, efficiency and selectivity of the interaction of the oxidizer with the fuel components.