Aerobic Oxidative Desulfurization by Nanoporous Tungsten Oxide with Oxygen Defects

Alkyl-substituted dibenzothiophenes such as 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene are a kind of typical refractory sulfur compound in fuel oil. Herein, three-dimensional ordered macro–mesoporous (3DOM) tungsten oxide catalysts were successfully prepared for aerobic oxidative desulfurization of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene. The experimental results indicated that the as-prepared material 3DOM WOx-400 not only contained a hexagonal packed nanoporous structure but also abundant oxygen defects on its skeleton, exhibiting aerobic oxidative desulfurization of over 99% in 4 h. Moreover, sulfur removal could still reach 99% after recycling five times. Through free radical capture experiments, the superoxide radical is reasonably proposed in the mechanism. This work would provide a feasible route to develop highly efficient nanoporous materials for desulfurization of fuels.