Preparation And Characterization of Cu-Fe/ TiO₂ Photocatalyst for Visible Light Deep Desulfurization

A photooxidative system for deep desulfurization of model diesel fuel was explored. Nanoparticles of anatase titania (TiO₂) were synthesized via sol-gel hydrothermal method. The TiO₂ was further modified with bimetallic Cu-Fe using wet-impregnation method followed by calcination process in order to extend the activity region of the photocatalyst to visible-light. A series of bimetallic 2.2 wt % Cu-Fe/ TiO₂ photocatalysts with different Cu:Fe mass compositions were characterized for their physical, chemical and optical properties using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), diffuse reflectance UV-visible spectroscopy (DR-UV-Vis), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area analysis. The performance of the photocatalysts was evaluated for photooxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) as the sulfur species from model oil in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, H₂O₂ under 500 W visible light illumination. The highest sulfur conversion of 82.36 % was observed for photocatalyst with 10:1Cu:Fe mass composition. (author)