Synthesis of WO₃/mesoporous ZrO₂ catalyst as a high-efficiency catalyst for catalytic oxidation of dibenzothiophene in diesel

The catalyst of WO₃ highly dispersed on mesoporous ZrO₂ was prepared by hydrothermal treatment and calcination. Ionic liquid templates with different cations and various calcination temperatures were taken into account to investigate factors that affect the structure of the catalysts. Wide-angle XRD, Raman, low-angle XRD, N₂ adsorption–desorption, SEM, EDS-mapping and TEM analyses were employed to characterize the composition, morphology and the dispersion of WO₃. It was found that [C₁₆H₃₃N(CH₃)₃]₄SiW₁₂O₄₀ and 700 °C were the optimal ionic liquid template and calcination temperature; the obtained catalyst, expressed as 700-C₁₆-WO₃/ZrO₂, exhibited the best catalytic activity in oxidation desulfurization. Dibenzothiophene (DBT) in the model oil could be oxidized to DBT sulfone (DBTO₂) completely, certified by GC-MS analysis, under optimum conditions. The oxidative desulfurization efficiencies of different substrates catalyze by 700-C₁₆-WO₃/ZrO₂, and the cycle performance on the oxidation of DBT were studied.