Synthesis and characterization of TBA-PV2Mo10@PVA as an efficient and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for oxidative desulfurization of gasoline

To prepare ultra-clean gasoline fuel, a new nanocomposite TBA-PV2Mo10@PVA was introduced as an efficient and green catalyst for oxidative desulfurization (ODS) process. The nanocomposite was successfully prepared by reaction of tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBA), H5PMo10V2O40, and poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) at room temperature via sol–gel method under oil-bath condition. The synthesized TBA-PV2Mo10@PVA was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, UV-vis, SEM and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of catalyst was tested on the ODS of gasoline in the presence of CH3COOH/H2O2 (1/1 volume ratio) as oxidant system and results were compared with model sulfur compounds (MSCs). After 2 h, the results were shown that the removal of total sulfur content could be reduced to 97% at the temperature of 35 °C. The main factors affecting the desulfurization efficiency, including catalyst dosage and temperature were investigated in detail. In addition, the kinetic parameters of oxidation of MSCs, reaction mechanism, and reusability of catalyst were discussed. The TBA-PV2Mo10@PVA nanocatalyst was separated and reused conveniently at the end of the reaction for five times. The excellent performance of this catalytic oxidation system can be a promising rout to achieve ultra-clean gasoline.