Energy Technology Data Exchange

Explore the Energy Technology Data Exchange (https://www.etde.org/) for useful desulfurization data. In the words of the ETDE website ...

“The Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE), an international energy information exchange agreement formed in 1987 under the International Energy Agency (IEA). ETDE's mission is “To provide governments, industry and the research community in the member countries with access to the widest range of information on energy research, science and technology and to increase dissemination of this information to developing countries.”

“ETDE World Energy Base or ETDEWEB is our Internet tool for disseminating the energy research and technology information that we collect and exchange. It also includes a federated searching option for one-stop searching of related science sites. Users in member countries and many developing countries have access privileges to ETDE's information”

Searching the site for “desulfurization” results in a number of hits, including those listed below …

Self-sustained operation of a kW{sub e}-class kerosene-reforming processor for solid oxide fuel cells
Yoon, Sangho; Bae, Joongmyeon; Kim, Sunyoung [Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, 335 Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea)]; Yoo, Young-Sung [Renewable Energy Research Group, Strategic Technology Laboratory, Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Korea Electric Power Corporation, 103-16 Munji-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejon 305-380 (Korea)]
2009 Jul 15
Journal of Power Sources; Journal Volume: 192; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
page(s) 360-366
English
Abstract
In this paper, fuel-processing technologies are developed for application in residential power generation (RPG) in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Kerosene is selected as the fuel because of its high hydrogen density and because of the established infrastructure that already exists in South Korea. A kerosene fuel processor with two different reaction stages, autothermal reforming (ATR) and adsorptive desulfurization reactions, is developed for SOFC operations. ATR is suited to the reforming of liquid hydrocarbon fuels because oxygen-aided reactions can break the aromatics in the fuel and steam can suppress carbon deposition during the reforming reaction. ATR can also be implemented as a self-sustaining reactor due to the exothermicity of the reaction. The kW{sub e} self-sustained kerosene fuel processor, including the desulfurizer, operates for about 250 h in this study. This fuel processor does not require a heat exchanger between the ATR reactor and the desulfurizer or electric equipment for heat supply and fuel or water vaporization because a suitable temperature of the ATR reformate is reached for H{sub 2}S adsorption on the ZnO catalyst beds in desulfurizer. Although the CH{sub 4} concentration in the reformate gas of the fuel processor is higher due to the lower temperature of ATR tail gas, SOFCs can directly use CH{sub 4} as a fuel with the addition of sufficient steam feeds (H{sub 2}O/CH{sub 4} {>=} 1.5), in contrast to low-temperature fuel cells. The reforming efficiency of the fuel processor is about 60%, and the desulfurizer removed H{sub 2}S to a sufficient level to allow for the operation of SOFCs.
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Challenges for renewable hydrogen production
Levin, D.B. [Manitoba Univ., Winnipeg, MB (Canada). Dept. of Biosystems Engineering; Hydrogen Canada H2CAN Strategic Research Network, Ottawa, ON (Canada)]; Chahine, R. [Quebec Univ., Trois-Rivieres, PQ (Canada). Institut de recherche sur l'hydrogene; Hydrogen Canada H2CAN Strategic Research Network, Ottawa, ON (Canada)]
Research Org: Univ. of Ontario Inst. of Technology, Oshawa, ON (Canada); Waterloo Univ., ON (Canada); International Hydrogen Energy Association, Coral Gables, FL (United States)
2009 Jul 01
Language: English
Abstract
Hydrogen is now in demand for heavy oil upgrading, desulfurization, and petroleum upgrading processes. Hydrogen production will be needed on a massive scale if it is to be used as a transportation and portable power fuel. This study examined methods of producing hydrogen using renewable energy sources derived from agricultural and other waste streams. Use of these materials offers the possibility of contributing to hydrogen production without the creation of additional greenhouse gases (GHGs) and may also increase the flexibility and economics of distributed and centralized reforming processes. The study showed that electrolysis, thermocatalytic, and biological hydrogen production methods can be easily adapted to semi-centralized reforming procedures. A distributed network of on-site production facilities may provide a cost-effective refueling infrastructure. However, conversion efficiencies, and purification and storage technologies will need to be improved before the methods are widely adopted. It was concluded that a new national strategic network has been established in Canada to study issues related to hydrogen purification, storage, infrastructure.
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Conversion of Claus plants of Kurkuk-Iraq to produce hydrogen and sulfur
Naman, S.A.; Veziroglu, A. [Duhok Univ., Duhok City (Iraq). Dept. of Chemistry; International Association for Hydrogen Energy, Miami, FL (United States)]
Research Org: Univ. of Ontario Inst. of Technology, Oshawa, ON (Canada); Waterloo Univ., ON (Canada); International Hydrogen Energy Association, Coral Gables, FL (United States)
Publication Date: 2009 Jul 01
Language: English
Abstract
Two Claus plants in Kirkuk, Iraq, convert hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur at a capacity of 2,200 tons/day. One of the plants is working at a capacity of only 400 tons/day with an old Claus process. The other uses a modified Claus sulfur recovery process with a capacity of 1800 tons/day. Both of the plants operate with low efficiency due to lack of maintenance. As such, the agricultural area surrounding Kirkuk is highly polluted. This paper described 2 pilot desulphurization plants that have been constructed inside the modified Claus plant. The first pilot plant is based on the flow system tube furnace reactor containing mixed titanium oxide/sulfide with a cold trap for sulfur separation and a bath of 30 per cent dithanolamine to separate and recycle hydrogen sulphide (H{sub 2}S) from hydrogen. The second pilot plant consists of a thermal diffusion ceramic rod inside a silica column containing zeolite 5A as a catalyst. This pilot plant also consists of a trap for continuous separation of sulfur and a system for separation of hydrogen from unreacted H{sub 2}S to recycle. The efficiency of conversion of H{sub 2}S to hydrogen and sulfur has been optimized as a function of catalyst type and mixture, temperature of furnace, flow rate of gas and reactor materials. The pilot plants were suitable with cadmium chalcogens catalysts to produce hydrogen, methane, ethane and sulphur, but with lower efficiency than H{sub 2}S decomposition only. The goal for the second pilot plant was to supply the heat using a solar energy concentrator instead of electricity. It was concluded that a hydrogen production plant in this part of Iraq will save a large area from polluted sulfur gas. The pilot plants can produce about 140 tons of hydrogen gas per day from these waste gases.
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Effect of middle distillates' properties on their reactivity in ultra low hydrodesulfurization
Stratiev, Dicho [Research and Development Dept., Lukoil Neftochim Bourgas, Bourgas (Bulgaria)]
Publication Date: 2009 Jun 15
Journal: Oil, Gas (Hamburg); Journal Volume: 35; Journal Issue: 2
page(s) 90-93
Language: English
Abstract
Ultra low hydrodesulfurization of straight run and conversion middle distillates and mixtures thereof was carried out on a high performance commercial Co-Mo catalyst in a trickle bed pilot plant with the aim to develop a correlation that predicts hydrogenate sulfur from physical and chemical properties of the feedstock. It was found that by using a 1.5 order kinetic model the rate constants correlate with total sulfur, dibenzothiophenes, total nitrogen, total aromatics and poly nuclear aromatics content and the content of the material boiling above 340 C (according to simulation distillation ASTM D-2887 of the middle distillate). The correlation proved to accurately predict the hydrogenate sulfur in a Lukoil Neftochim Bulgaria (LNB) refinery hydrodesulfurization (HDS) unit. The correlation could be applied for optimization of production of near zero sulfur diesel (NZSD) in a refinery. (orig.)
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CO2 Sequestration in Cell Biomass of Chlorobium Thiosulfatophilum
James L. Gaddy, PhD; Ching-Whan Ko, PhD
2009 May 04
Report Number(s): DOE/ER/83907-3
Language: English
Abstract
World carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels have increased at a rate of about 3 percent per year during the last 40 years to over 24 billion tons today. While a number of methods have been proposed and are under study for dealing with the carbon dioxide problem, all have advantages as well as disadvantages which limit their application. The anaerobic bacterium Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum uses hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide to produce elemental sulfur and cell biomass. The overall objective of this project is to develop a commercial process for the biological sequestration of carbon dioxide and simultaneous conversion of hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur. The Phase I study successfully demonstrated the technical feasibility of utilizing this bacterium for carbon dioxide sequestration and hydrogen sulfide conversion to elemental sulfur by utilizing the bacterium in continuous reactor studies. Phase II studies involved an advanced research and development to develop the engineering and scale-up parameters for commercialization of the technology. Tasks include culture isolation and optimization studies, further continuous reactor studies, light delivery systems, high pressure studies, process scale-up, a market analysis and economic projections. A number of anaerobic and aerobic microorgansims, both non-photosynthetic and photosynthetic, were examined to find those with the fastest rates for detailed study to continuous culture experiments. C. thiosulfatophilum was selected for study to anaerobically produce sulfur and Thiomicrospira crunogena waws selected for study to produce sulfate non-photosynthetically. Optimal conditions for growth, H2S and CO2 comparison, supplying light and separating sulfur were defined. The design and economic projections show that light supply for photosynthetic reactions is far too expensive, even when solar systems are considered. However, the aerobic non-photosynthetic reaction to produce sulfate with T. crunogena produces a reasonable return when treating a sour gas stream of 120 million SCFD containing 2.5 percent H2S. In this case, the primary source of revenue is from desulfurization of the gas stream. While the technology has significant application in sequestering carbon dioxide in cell biomass or single cell proten (SCP), perhaps the most immediate application is in desulfurizing LGNG or other gas streams. This biological approach is a viable economical alternative to existing hydrogen sulfide removal technology, and is not sensitive to the presence of hydrocarbons which act as catalyst poisons.
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Oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene based on molecular oxygen and iron phthalocyanine
Zhou, Xinrui; Li, Juan; Wang, Xiuna; Jin, Kun; Ma, Wei [State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116012 (China)]
2009 Feb 15
Resource Relation: Journal: Fuel Processing Technology; Journal Volume: 90; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Size/Format: Size: page(s) 317-323
Language: English
Abstract
Direct oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) based on molecular oxygen and iron tetranitrophthalocyanine (FePc(NO{sub 2}){sub 4}) catalyst was performed in hydrocarbon solvent under water-free condition for deep desulfurization. Conversion of DBT in decalin reached 98.7 wt.% at 100 C and 0.3 MPa of initial pressure with 1 wt.% of FePc(NO{sub 2}){sub 4} over the whole solution for 2 h. In addition to FePc(NO{sub 2}){sub 4}, another two catalysts, FePc(NO{sub 2}){sub 3}NH{sub 2} and FePc(NH{sub 2}){sub 4}, were synthesized to investigate the effect of substituents of iron phthalocyanines on their catalytic activities. The results show that the catalytic activity of these phthalocyanines decreases in the order of FePc(NO{sub 2}){sub 4} > FePc(NO{sub 2}){sub 3}NH{sub 2} > FePc(NH{sub 2}){sub 4}, indicating that the electron-donating group has negative effect on the catalytic properties. Activity of FePc(NO{sub 2}){sub 4} was kept unchanged after 5 runs of oxidation; whereas, activity of FePc(NH{sub 2}){sub 4} decreased because of its decomposition. Moreover, FePc(NO{sub 2}){sub 3}NH{sub 2} was supported on a polyacrylic cationic exchange resin and its activity was remarkably enhanced to the level of FePc(NO{sub 2}){sub 4}. Oxidative desulfurization of a model fuel, 500 {mu}g/g solution of DBT in decalin, was performed based on the catalytic oxidation using molecular oxygen and FePc(NO{sub 2}){sub 4} catalyst. The lowest sulfur content in the model fuel could be decreased to less than 4 {mu}g/g after the treatment of this oxidation and a combined adsorption. (author)
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Search tip: SARS - Selective Absorption for Removing Sulfur

SARS - Selective Absorption for Removing Sulfur – is a hot topic in the desulfurization community.

Search Google®, Yahoo! ®, or your favorite search engine using …

SARS desulfurization 2009

to retrieve a list of the most recent items in this area. Here’s a list of results from a recent Google® search we performed …

Deep desulfurization of FCC gasoline by selective adsorption over nanosized zeolite-based adsorbents
Journal: Reaction Kinetics and Catalysis Letters
Volume 97, Number 1 / June, 2009
Pages 1-6
Zhilin Cheng1 , Xuesong Liu2, Jiqing Lu2 and Mengfei Luo2
(1) China National Offshore Oil Corporation, CNOOC Tianjin Research and Design Institute of Chemical Industry, Tianjin, 300131, China
(2) Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Reactive Chemistry on Solid Surfaces, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China

Deep desulfurization of diesel by integrating adsorption and microbial method
Biochemical Engineering Journal
Volume 44, Issues 2-3, 15 May 2009, Pages 297-301
Short communication

Deep desulfurization of transportation fuels by characteristic reaction resided in adsorbents
AIChE Journal
Volume 55 Issue 7, Pages 1872 - 1881
Published Online: 28 May 2009
Environmental and Energy Engineering
Sheng-Qiang Wang 1, Li Zhou 1 *, Wei Su 1, Yan Sun 1, Yaping Zhou 2
1High Pressure Adsorption Laboratory, Chemical Engineering Research Center, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
2Dept. of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
email: Li Zhou (zhouli@tju.edu.cn)

Oxidative Desulfurization of Diesel Fuels Using Air by in-situ Hydroperoxide Generation for Fuel Cell Application
Sundararaman R.1, Ma X. L. and Song C.S.*
1Clean Fuels and Catalysis Program, EMS Energy Institute, and Department of Energy & Mineral Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 209 Academic Projects Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
*csong@psu.edu

Ultradeep Adsorption−Desulfurization of Gasoline with Ni/Al−SiO2 Material Catalytically Facilitated by Ethanol
Miron V. Landau*†, Moti Herskowitz†, Rajeev Agnihotri‡ and James E. Kegerreis‡
Blechner Center for Applied Catalysis and Process Development, Chemical Engineering Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Ben-Gurion avenue 1, 84105, Israel, and ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, Fairfax, Virginia 22037
Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2008, 47 (18), pp 6904–6916
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: 972 -(8)-6472-141. Fax: 072-(8)-6479-427. E-mail: mlandau@bgu.ac.il., † Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
, ‡ ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co.

Conference Alert: Nanotech 2010

Nanotech 2010 is likely to have a number of presentations of interest to desulfurization engineers and scientists. Scheduled for June 21-25, 2010, Anaheim, CA, it has an Energy & Environment Track

The Track’s Symposium & Topics include …
Nanotech for Oil & Gas: Fluids, Coatings, Filtration, Catalysis, Sensors, Water Use
Energy Storage & Distribution: Novel Storage, Fuel Cells, Hydrogen, Super Capacitors, Transmission

Find details on the conference at …
http://www.techconnectworld.com/Nanotech2010/

Blind Alleys

Research is the act of going up alleys to see if they are blind.
-- Plutarch

Years ago a customer came to me with a simple request. He wanted the technical specifications of the various types of crude oil … Arabian Light, West Texas Intermediate, the lot. “No problem,” I said, and went to the shelf which housed the EIG Crude Oil Market Handbook (http://www.energyintel.com/DataHomePage.asp?publication_id=103&ss=e). I had fielded similar questions dozens of times before and knew the answer. In this case, unfortunately, it was the wrong answer.

My customer said, “No, I need more detail than that.”

Then I asked him the question I should have asked before … “What are you going to use the information for?”

He told me that he wanted independent detailed assays of a broad range of crude which he could then compare to values R&D had compiled over the years and placed in a database. They were going to use the data in a research project and wanted to validate the data before beginning the project.

And so began the process of going down blind alleys to see what was there. How many blind alleys were involved I cannot say. I lost count after about 372. But this was a good customer. I was determined to go the extra two or three miles needed to find information he could use.

I finally found the right blind alley … and in that alley, I discovered …

A Catalogue of Crude Oil and Oil Product Properties

The 546 page report was funded by the U.S. Minerals Management Service and Environment Canada. Its purpose was to provide a fingerprint of every conceivable type of crude that might become the subject of an oil spill cleanup. Consequently, the properties of each crude were examined in great detail and are reported in this document.

My customer was very pleased with the results. And the results came about by asking the right question, and then going down blind alleys to see what was there.

You can view the entire report at …

www.mms.gov/tarprojects/120/120BC.PDF

“Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing”

“Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.” Wernher von Braun said that. And I can relate. Much of what I do involves serendipity, which is just another way of saying that I wander from fact to fact until I assemble what I need to solve a problem. Here is a small example of the process …

Searching for information on Mustang Engineering (www.mustangeng.com) I turned up an article called “Apply Process Integration to Environmental Impact Assessment” (CEP, February 2009). It’s worth reading. In addition to the content, it has good biographical information on the authors, including …

Dr. Mahmoud El-Halwagi
Artie McFerrin Dept. of Chemical Engineering
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-3122
979-845-3484
el-halwagi@tamu.edu

I added his name to our experts file for future reference. Then I searched for his name + desulfurization and came up with the following dissertation, for which he was one of the approvers …

Experimental Investigation Of In Situ Upgrading Of Heavy Oil By Using A Hydrogen Donor And Catalyst During Steam Injection
A Dissertation by AHMAD A. A. MOHAMMAD
Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University (2008)

And so it goes …

To read the full text of the article go to …
http://www.mustangeng.com/AboutMustang/Publications/Publications/0209CEPEnvironmentalImpactAssessment.pdf
For the full text of the dissertation, go to …
http://txspace.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/86051/Mohammad.pdf?sequence=1

Searching for Keywords

Keywords are … well, KEY when it comes to finding what you need to help in your research. If you have some good keywords, provide them to your IP – Information Professional. You’ll be glad you did.

One good source of keywords is patent literature. For example, the following patent application yielded the keywords shown below. When combined in a Google or Yahoo! search with “desulfurization,” they can yield interesting reading matter.

Catalytic Process for Deep Oxidative Desulfurization of Liquid Transportation Fuels
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. US 2009/0200206 A1 (Pub. Date Aug. 13 2009)
Inventors:
Farhan M. Al-Shahrani, Oxford (GB)
Gary D. Martinie, Graham NC
Malcolm L.H. Green, Oxford (GB)

Browsing the patent application, you will find phrases like …

hydrogen sulfide
catalyst poison
4-methyldibenzothiophene
4,6-dimethlydibenzothiophene
4,6-DMDBT
deep desulfurization
aromatic sulfur compounds
n-alkyl benzothiophene
n-alkyl dibenzothiophene
liquid-liquid extraction
solvent extraction
oxidative desulfurization

Use your favorite search engine(s) to search any of the above phrases by combining them with “desulfurization” as in the example …

"catalyst poison" desulfurization

PTQ – Petroleum Technology Quarterly

Petroleum Technology Quarterly (http://www.eptq.com/) is one of the best sources of technical literature on anything pertaining to refining of petroleum products. Some of the offerings are free, but the best stuff costs £100 / year. With that subscription you get full text access to all the articles in the archive.

For example, searching “desulphurisation” (and be sure to use the BRITISH spelling, or you will not get the same results) you will see the following list of recent (2008-2009) articles …

• Combining ULSD objectives with FCC pretreatment
• LCO upgrading at moderate to severe conditions
• Effect of hydrocarbon partial pressure on FCC propylene
• Improving hydrotreater reactor performance
• Impact of low-sulphur bunkers on refineries
• Increasing ULSD production with current assets
• Clean diesel hydrotreating
• SO2 scrubbing in refinery applications

Get Help! (And how to make the most of the help you get)

At some point in your research you will find you don’t have time to do it all yourself. At that point, you should contact your corporate librarian, if there is one. If not, contact an independent information professional (IP) like Jean Steinhardt Consulting LLC.

Whoever you choose, here is how you can get the best results …
1) Keywords: desulfurization is a good keyword, but can result in a huge number of hits. A more specific keyword, a keyword that is widely used in your area of expertise but that is more technical in nature, may be better. For example, if your research focuses on “dibenzothiophene,” let the IP (information professional) know that.
2) Context: Continuing with the dibenzothiophene example, are you focused on the fuel cell part of the hydrocarbon chain, or are you more interested in refining heavy crude?
3) Purpose: why do you need the search? Are you looking for the latest trends? Or are you working on a patent application and want to be sure no one else has already patented the concept? Or are you wondering about the marketability of your concept?
4) Turnaround: when do you need to see the results? The faster you need them, the more it is likely to cost. If speed is more important than money, let your IP know that.
5) Cost: how much are you willing to spend? Even if you are lucky enough to have a corporate librarian at your disposal, he / she will need to spend time and money researching your topic.
6) To the Max: even if you need this done FAST, you might do well to agree a not-to-exceed amount ahead of time. When your IP gets to the agreed amount, you can review the results and determine whether to continue.

As to the question of how to find the right IP for your purpose, take a moment to read “Shopping for an Information Broker” by Mary Ellen Bates (http://www.batesinfo.com/searcher-article.html)

Rich Source of Information: Annual Saudi-Japan Symposium

Every once in a while we stumble on a gold mine … like the 18th Annual Saudi-Japan Symposium: Catalysts in Petroleum Refining & Petrochemicals, held by the KFUPM Research Institute, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, November 16-17, 2008.

The papers constituting the proceedings of the symposium are available for download at http://www.kfupm.edu.sa/catsymp/Proceedings-18th.htm. Most are full text, although some are abstracts or PPT presentations.

Much of the material presented pertains directly to desulfurization.

And if you collect contact information of experts in various fields, (as we do) you will find that kind of information here, as well.

Eureka!

Here are the titles of the papers presented at the symposium …



Keynote Paper: "Hydrocracking on Nanoporous Zeolite Catalysts"
Dr. Sachio Asaoka, University of Kitakyushu, Japan

HDS Screening Capabilities Using Avantium’s Parallel Fixed Bed Technology
Dr. Peter Mangnus, Avantium Technologies, The Netherlands

Development of HDS Catalyst Using Comparative Studies of Model Feed Experiments & Quantum Chemical Studies
Mr. Hiroyuki Nakamura, Japan Energy Corporation

Advances in Unicracking for Maximum Distillate Production
Dr. Suheil Abdo, UOP, USA

Engineering Fixed Bed Hydrocarbon Conversion Reactors to Control Pressure Drop Increases
Dr. Ken J. Mills, Saint-Gobain NorPro, USA

Keynote Paper: “Using Additives for Real Time FCC Catalyst Optimization
Mr. Martin Evans, INTERCAT Inc., USA

More Propylene in FCC Uni
Dr. Rei Hamada, JGC Catalysts & Chemicals Ltd.

Activity & Selectivity Factors that Limit Light Olefins Production: Some Proposed Solutions
Dr. Yiu Lau Lam, Petrobras, Brazil

Anti-coking attributes of Ce-promoted Co-Ni/Al2O3 catalyst during propane dry reforming
Dr. Adesoji A. Adesina, University of New South Wales, Australia

Development of Themoneutral Reforming Catalyst for Hydrogen Production from Liquid Hydrocarbons
Dr. Shakeel Ahmed, KFUPM, Dhahran

Forced Composition Cycling of Propane Steam Reforming Using CO2 as Carbon Gasifying Agent
Dr. Adesoji A. Adesina, University of New South Wales, Australia

Keynote Paper: “Novel Zeolites in Transformation of Aromatic Hydrocarbons”
Dr. Jiri Čejka, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic

Enhancement of Conversion & Selectivity by Unsteady-state Operation in Shape-Selective Synthesis of 2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene with ZSM-5
Dr. Toshio Tsutsui, Kagoshima University

Keynote Paper: “Three Dimensional Cage Type Mesoporous Catalysts for Acylation & Alkylation
Dr. Ajayan Vinu, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan

Development of New Isomerization Process for Petrochemical By-products
Mr. K. Watanabe, Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd, Japan

Preparation of Mono-dispersed MFI-type Zeolite Nanocrystals in Water-surfactant-oil Solution & their Application to Synthesis of Olefins from Oxygen-containing Compounds
Dr. Takao Masuda, Hokkaido University, Japan

Keynote Paper: "Development of Propylene Polymerization Catalysts & PP Manufacturing Processes
Dr. Akinobu Shiga, LUMMOX Research Lab, Japan

Albemarle's Role in Polyolefin Catalysts
Dr. Jiang Bian, Albemarle, Netherlands

Synthesis of Bisphenol-A from Phenol & Acetone using Organic-Inorganic Modified Heteropolyacid Catalyst
Dr. Atsushi Satsuma, Nagoya University; Japan

Synthesis of Stable PMMA against Irradiation & Thermal Degradation Using Cobalt Tetraphenyl Porphyrin Catalyst
Dr. Hany Abdel Dayem, KFU, Al-Hofuf

Expert: Philippe Sautet

From time to time, we find experts in the desulfurization arena that appear to merit further notice. Philippe Sautet (Philippe.Sautet@ens-lyon.fr) is such an expert. He is Director ENS Lyon, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France. He presented at the KFUPM-KAUST Catalysis Workshop 2009.

Among articles that he has authored/co-authored is …

Charge transfer complexes between tetranitrofluorenone and polyaromatic compounds from gasoil: A combined DFT and experimental study
Author(s)
MILENKOVIC Alexandra (1) ; LOFFREDA David (2 3) ; SCHULZ Emmanuelle (1 4) ; CHERMETTE Henry (3 5) ; LEMAIRE Marc (1) ; SAUTET Philippe (2) ;
Author(s) Affiliation(s)
(1) Laboratoire de Catalyse et Synthèse Organique, UCBL, CPE, 43 Bd. du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622, Villeurbanne, FRANCE
(2) Laboratoire de Chimie, UMR 5182 CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 Allée d'Italie, 69364, Lyon, FRANCE
(3) Institut de Recherches sur la Catalyse, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 2 Avenue Albert Einstein, 69626, Villeurbanne, FRANCE
(4) Université Paris Sud (Paris XI), bat. 420, 91405, Orsay, FRANCE
(5) Chimie Physique Théorique, Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 43 Bd du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622, Villeurbanne, FRANCE
Abstract
A new method has been recently developed for the hydrodesulfurization of gasoils based on the formation of charge transfer complexes. This method is highly selective towards the removal of alkyldibenzothiophenes from other aromatic compounds present in gasoils. Total energy calculations based on density-functional theory have been performed to study the complexation phenomenon and clarify its high selectivity. DFT calculations improve the understanding of the process and they are also useful for the design of more efficient acceptor derivatives for the desulfurization process. Five charge transfer complexes between a given acceptor and five representative donor compounds present in gasoils have been studied. Three main criteria have been used to characterize the optimized complexes: their complexation energy, their geometry and their electronic structure. The decomposition of total energy showed that the main contribution to the complexation energy comes from the Pauli repulsion and the electrostatic interactions. Hence the charge transfer complexes are not only ruled by charge transfer but also by electrostatic contributions. However, the selectivity of the complexation phenomenon is controlled by the orbital interactions.
Journal Title
PCCP. Physical chemistry chemical physics ISSN 1463-9076
Source
2004, vol. 6, no6, pp. 1169-1180 [12 page(s) (article)] (80 ref.)

source: http://perso.ens-lyon.fr/philippe.sautet/Philippe_Sautet.html

Searching Multiple Search Engines at a Stroke

The purpose of this blog is two fold …
1) To share desulfurization resources we have found in our daily searches of the Web
2) To provide search tips to make your Web research efforts more effective

Today’s first search tip: search Google® and Yahoo!® … and then, search every other search engine you can think of.

Today’s second search tip: use a tool like Copernic® (http://www.copernic.com/) to follow today’s first tip. Copernic enables you to enter a search string ONCE, in order to search a number of search engines ALL AT ONCE.

For example, we used Copernic Basic (a free download) and entered the following search string …

“fuel cells” dibenzothiophene

This resulted in 33 hits, produced by searches in the following search engines …

AOL Search
Netscape Netcenter
Bing
FAST Search (alltheweb.com)
Alta Vista
Lycos

The Case for KAUST

This is amazing. KAUST – King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (http://www.kaust.edu.sa/) -is an ambitious project of the Saudi government to create a world class university that will attract world renowned scholars and top caliber students from the globe.

It was started from scratch in the summer of 2006, with the goal of being fully operational by September 2009. This in itself is astonishing.

But what I find amazing is that Saudi Aramco, the national oil company, was assigned the task of making this happen.

And yet, there is a certain logic to the assignment. If there is one thing that distinguishes one oil major from another, it is the quality of the technical expertise at its disposal. What better way to access that expertise than to be involved in the creation of a world class educational institution dedicated to the development of that expertise?

How does this pertain to desulfurization? Saudi Aramco, like other majors, is dealing with the fact that the supply of high quality oil is shrinking. There is still lots of heavy crude, but to make it marketable, economically feasible desulfurization technologies are required.

Here are a few resources to explore for more background, along with selected quotes.

CERAWeek, Keynote Address, February 10, 2009
Ali I. Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
“Our commitment to energy stability extends beyond our ongoing upstream and downstream investments. We believe it is also essential to invest in knowledge and in our human capital. We therefore are growing the Kingdom’s capacity to conduct research and development on technologies that will help ensure a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. We are building new scientific institutions to advance our knowledge of energy and the environment and training the scientists and technicians of tomorrow. These institutions include the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, known as KAUST, which will open September 5th of this year, and the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center”
source: www.mees.com/postedarticles/oped/v52n09-5OD01.htm

Meeting Report
1st Workshop on Future Challenges for Catalysis, held at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; May 5-6, 2009
A. M. Aitani, Center for Refining & Petrochemicals, Research Institute, KFUPM, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Email: maitani@kfupm.edu.sa
“KFUPM and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) played host to over 180 workshop attendees and high profile academic and industry speakers at their 1st Workshop on Future Challenges for Catalysis in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The two-day technical event was jointly organized by “KAUST Catalysis Center” (KCC) and the Center-in-Development (CID) “Transformative Research in Petrochemicals & Polymers” at KFUPM and was devoted for discussions on the advances and challenges in catalysis research”
source: www.kfupm.edu.sa/kaust-cid/Misc%20Files/Meeting%20Report.pdf

KAUST-KFUPM Catalysis Workshop: Global Collaborative Research (2009)
KAUST Catalysis Research Center (KCC)
“KAUST established the Catalysis Research Center to be a world-leading node for the establishment of a multidisciplinary approach to “catalysis by design.” The center will develop new catalysts, new catalytic reactions, and new catalytic technologies which are crucial to meet these future challenges. The center will move from “catalyst discovery” to “catalysis by design.” The Center will be focused on single-site catalysts which are relevant to the petroleum industry, the environment, bio-based raw materials, polymers, and nanotechnology. These domains correspond to areas of need in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world.”
source: www.kfupm.edu.sa/kaust-cid/.../Workshop%20Program.pdf

Saudi Aramco Annual Review (2008)
“In the summer of 2006, the government directed us to lead the development of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or KAUST, a decades-long vision of King Abdullah. KAUST is setting new precedents in a variety of areas for research universities. The university's organization and endowment, its interdisciplinary approach and partnerships with other institutions, its physical campus and unique setting, and its approach to recruiting faculty and students from around the world have all set new standards in higher education.

“The project is situated on a site of more than 36 million square meters on the Red Sea approximately 80 km north of Jiddah. KAUST will be an international, graduate-level research university open to men and women from around the world and dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in the Kingdom that will also benefit the region and the world.

“In June 2008, we signed a memorandum of understanding with KAUST to create a partnership to support carbon emissions research, advanced petroleum reservoir and oil recovery technologies, and energy conservation and marine environment studies. “
source: http://www.saudiaramco.com/irj/portal/anonymous?favlnk=%2FSaudiAramcoPublic%2Fdocs%2FNews+Room%2FAnnual+Review&ln=en

Institute of Energy Research

The Institute of Energy Research (IEF) (http://www.fz-juelich.de/portal/about_us/institutes_facilities/institutes/ief), according to its Web site, “investigates modern energy conversion technologies. The topics it covers range from photovoltaics and fuel cells, through nuclear fusion and nuclear safety research, right up to innovative coal and gas power plants. This gives rise to an unrivalled breadth of research topics, all bound together by scientific methods and systems analysis.”

One of its areas of focus is fuel cells, and within that focus is another concern … desulfurization of the fuel that fuel cells require. Here are several publications listed on the site …

Aslam, I.
'Adsorptive desulfurization of kerosene and diesel for fuel processing in fuel cell systems'
FZJ, Institut für Energieforschung-3
Jülich
2007
Aachen, Fachhochsch., Dipl., 2007

Wang, Y.
'Deep desulfurization of middle destillates by selective adsorption for fuel cell applications'
FZJ, Institut für Energieforschung-3
Jülich
2007
Paderborn, Univ., Master, 2007

Latz, J.; Peters, R.; Stolten, D
'Liquid Phase Desulfurization of Jet Fuel for APU-Application'
Proceedings of the Fuel Cell Seminar, San Antonio, TX, USA, 2007. - Washington, Courtesy Associates, 2007. - CD, o.Z.

source: http://www.fz-juelich.de/ief/ief-3/index.php?path=Publications&index=244&id=2007

Monitor Patent Applications

FreshPatents.com (http://www.freshpatents.com/) provides a free keyword monitoring service that enables you to keep up with patent applications in your field of interest. According to the FreshPatent site, you are notified within a week or two of any patent application containing the keywords you have on file with FreshPatent. So, for example, if you were particularly interested in following patent developments pertaining to “dibenzothiophene,” you would receive an alert to a patent application like the one below, filed by Exxonmobil Research And Engineering Company …

Partial electro-hydrogenation of sulfur containing feedstreams followed by sulfur removal
USPTO Application #: 20090159427
Title: Partial electro-hydrogenation of sulfur containing feedstreams followed by sulfur removal

Abstract: This invention relates to the partial hydrogenation of sulfur containing petroleum feedstreams by electrochemical means. The partially hydrogenated feedstream is then conducted to processes for either conversion and removal of at least some of the sulfur-containing species from the electrochemical desulfurization process or adsorption and removal of at least some of the sulfur-containing species from the electrochemical desulfurization process. (end of abstract)

Agent: Exxonmobil Research And Engineering Company - Annandale, NJ, US
Inventors: Mark A. Greaney, Mark A. Greaney, Kun Wang, Kun Wang, Frank C. Wang, Frank C. Wang
USPTO Applicaton #: 20090159427 - Class: 204172 (USPTO)

Time-savers: OSTI Information Bridge

Another time-saver for the focused researcher is to search the OSTI Information Bridge (http://www.osti.gov/bridge/). Searching “dibenzothiophene” for the years 2005-2009 resulted in the list below. A nice feature is that the PDF of the full report is available for download.

Adsorption and Ultrasound-Assisted Sorbent Regeneration
Basic Research Needs for Solid-State Lighting. Report of the Basic Energy Sciences Workshop on Solid-State Lighting, May 22-24, 2006
Basic Research Needs: Catalysis for Energy
Coordination of dibensothiophenes and corannulenes to organometallic ruthenium (II) fragments Diesel Reforming for Fuel Cell Auxiliary Power Units
Diesel Reforming for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Application
EMSL Outlook Review 2005
Establishment of the Center for Advanced Separation Technologies
ISHHC XIII International Symposium on the Relations betweenHomogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis
Metabolic Engineering to Develop a Pathway for the Selective Cleavage of Carbon-Nitrogen Bonds
Plasma Catalysis for NOx Reduction from Light-Duty Diesel Vehicles
REFINERY INTEGRATION OF BY-PRODUCTS FROM COAL-DERIVED JET FUELS
Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels
The Biocatalytic Desulfurization Project
Ultra-low Sulfur Reduction Emission Control Device/Development of an On-board Fuel Sulfur Trap
University/NETL Student Partnership Program

What’s In a Name: Petrotech 2010

I complained in a previous post about the fact that a search for “Aramco conference 2010” resulted in a hit on Middle East Petrotech 2010 that had no information on Petrotech 2010. I was too quick to whine … a subsequent search for “Middle East Petrotech 2010” resulted in slightly more current information, including the names of the committee members, shown below. Names like these can be significant to desulfurization research because they are either the decision makers, or know the decision makers, that will fund your research and/or buy your research results.

Executive Committee
Conference Chairman:
Ali Hassan Al-Sidiky
Director, Downstream Ventures
Qatar Petroleum

Conference Vice Chairman:
Mohammed S. Al-Gusaier
Vice President, Refining
Saudi Aramco

Technical Committee Chairman:
Roy DeBellefeuille
Superintendent, Refining Technical Support Division
Saudi Aramco

Members:
Abdulaziz Mutwalli
Vice President Engineering and Support
Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co, KSA


Anwar Saeed Ben Salamah
Deputy Chairman & Deputy Managing Director, Planning
Petrochemical Industry Company (PIC)

Bakhit S. Al-Rashidi
Deputy Managing Director, Planning & Local Marketing
Kuwait National Petroleum Company

Daniel Lacombe
Jubail Refinery Project Director, TOTAL Refining
TOTAL Middle East LLC

Faisal Mohammed Al-Mahroos
Deputy Chief Executive
The Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO)

Jacques de Thezy
Chief Executive Officer
Air Liquide (Middle East)

John Dearborn
Geographic President, India, Middle East & Africa
Dow Chemical IMEA GmbH

Khamis Bu-Amim
President & Chief Executive Officer
Regional Clean Sea Organization (RESCO)

Michael J. Corke
Senior Vice President
Purvin & Gertz, Inc (Middle East)

Mohammed Nasser Al-Hajri
Manager, Downstream Business Development & Evaluation
Qatar Petroleum

Pat Rooney
Managing Director, Middle East
CMAI (Middle East)

Saad F. Al-Dosari
President & Chief Executive Officer
Petro Rabigh

Sakhr Y. Faruqi
Chemical Manager, ExxonMobil Qatar Inc

Shaikh Mohamed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa
Chairman
Arabian Exhibition Management

Dr. Sulaiman S. Al-Khattaf
Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering Department
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM)

Walid Al-Nader
Business Development Director
Shell Global Solutions (Middle East)

Yusuf Abdullah Yusuf
Deputy General Manager
Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (BSC) - GPIC

Source: http://www.mepetrotech.com/2010/Conference/committees.html

To Infinity and Beyond: More Conferences

Searching for conferences can be frustrating, but there is wheat among the chaff. For example, a search for “Aramco conference 2010” resulted in a list including an announcement of Middle East Petrotech 2010, which does not yet have any information about 2010 (frustrating). It does, however, include information about “high level guest speakers” at the 2008 conference. The names of some of the speakers are familiar … the names of others, less so. Here they are …

High level guest speakers during the course of the conference at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre included Robert Hutchinson, Vice President Chemicals, ExxonMobil Saudi Arabia; Maurice Bannayan, Senior Vice President, Reliance Industries Limited; Khalid G. Al-Buainain, Senior Vice President, RM&I, Saudi Aramco; Maha Mulla Hussain, Managing Director, Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) Kuwait; Bill Spence, Vice President CO2, Shell Downstream Services International B.V.; Abdulkarim Al-Sayed, Chief Executive Officer, BAPCO; Michael R. Gambrell, Executive Vice President, Basic Plastics and Chemicals, Manufacturing & Engineering, DOW Chemical Company; Dr. Fatih Birol, Chief Economist, International Energy Agency; and Khamis Bu-Amim, President and CEO, Regional Clean Sea Organization (RECSO).

Source: http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:RCXjLIw06ngJ:www.mepetrotech.com/2010/Information/2008-report.html+aramco+conference+2010&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Sometimes, the Government Gets It Right: Science.gov

As a more focused alternative to Google®, Yahoo!® et al, try Science.gov (www.science.gov) In a quick search for “dibenzothiophene,” I obtained results that I could have gotten with the popular search engines, but with much less clutter.

The side bar that pops up next to the search results lets you refine your search with a click. When I clicked on “Sulfur Removal” a list of 46 hits appeared. The first 10 hits are reproduced below …

Elucidation of 2-hydroxybiphenyl effect on dibenzothiophene desulfurization by Microbacterium sp. strain ZD-M2.
Chen, Han; Zhang, Wen-Juan; Cai, Yu-Bei; Zhang, Ying; Li, Wei2008-02-26
The effect of 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2-HBP), the end product of dibenzothiophene (DBT) desulfurization via 4S pathway, on cell growth and desulfurization activity was investigated by Microbacterium sp. The experimental results indicate that 2-HBP would…
Bioresource technology
PubMed

Evidence for the role of zinc on the performance of dibenzothiophene desulfurization by Gordonia alkanivorans strain 1B [electronic resource].
Alves, Luís2008-01-01
AGRICOLA Articles

Adsorption equilibrium and kinetics of dibenzothiophene from n-octane on bamboo charcoal
Zhao, Dishun Zhang, Juan Duan, Erhong Wang, Jinlong2008-03-01
Not Available
Applied Surface Science
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Effect of TiO₂-Al₂O₃ Sol-Gel Supports on the Superficial Ni and Mo Species in Oxidized and Sulfided NiMo/TiO₂-Al₂O₃ Catalysts: Influence on Dibenzothiophene Hydrodesulfurization [electronic resource].
Guevara, A.2008-01-01
AGRICOLA Articles

Genetic Rearrangement Strategy for Optimizing the Dibenzothiophene Biodesulfurization Pathway in Rhodococcus erythropolis▿
Li, Guo-qiang; Li, Shan-shan; Zhang, Ming-lu; Wang, Jun; Zhu, Lin; Liang, Feng-lai; Liu, Ru-lin; Ma, Ting2008-02-28
Dibenzothiophene (DBT) and its derivatives can be microbially desulfurized by enzymes DszC, DszA, and DszB, which are encoded by the operon dszABC and contribute to the conversion in tandem. We investigated the expression characteristics of the dsz…
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
PubMed Central

Study of the Individual Reactions of Hydrodesulphurization of Dibenzothiophene and Hydrogenation of 2-Methylnaphthalene on ZnNiMo/γ-Alumina Catalysts [electronic resource].
Linares, Carlos F.2008-01-01
AGRICOLA Articles

Effects of nicotinamide and riboflavin on the biodesulfurization activity of dibenzothiophene by Rhodococcus erythropolis USTB-03.
Yan, Hai; Sun, Xudong; Xu, Qianqian; Ma, Zhao; Xiao, Chengbin; Jun, Ning2008-06-26
Rhodococcus erythropolis USTB-03 is a promising bacterial strain for the biodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) via a sulfur-specific pathway in which DBT is converted to 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2HBP) as an end product. The effects of nicotinamide…
Journal of environmental sciences (China)
PubMed

Genetic Rearrangement Strategy for Optimizing the Dibenzothiophene Biodesulfurization Pathway in Rhodococcus erythropolis.
Li, Guo-Qiang2008-01-01
AGRICOLA Articles

Description of by-product inhibiton effects on biodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene in biphasic media [electronic resource].
Caro, Ainhoa2008-01-01
AGRICOLA Articles

Study of a newly isolated thermophilic bacterium capable of Kuhemond heavy crude oil and dibenzothiophene biodesulfurization following 4S pathway at 60 °C [electronic resource].
Torkamani, Sarah2008-01-01
AGRICOLA Articles

The enhanced adsorption of dibenzothiophene onto cerium/nickel-exchanged zeolite Y.
Wang, Juan; Xu, Fang; Xie, Wei-Jie; Mei, Zhi-Jian; Zhang, Qiu-Zhuo; Cai, Jun2008-08-30
The investigations for selective adsorption of dibenzothiophene (DBT) over Ce/Ni-loaded Y zeolites with the emphasis on the effect of Ce as a cocation in the Ni-loaded Y zeolite are carried out in an attempt to produce more effective adsorbents for…
Journal of hazardous materials
PubMed

[Construction and evaluation of a genetic engineered strain for biodesulfurization]
Li, Huanjie; Yu, Zhijian; Xiong, Xiaochao; Li, Yuguang; Li, Xin2009-03-25
We first cloned the dsz operon of Pseudomonas delafieldii R-8 into the expressing plasmid (pPR9TT) to construct the recombinant plasmid pPR-dsz, and then reintroduced it into strain R-8 to obtain a muti-copy dsz operon engineering strain R-8-1. Compared w…
Sheng wu gong cheng xue bao = Chinese journal of biotechnology
PubMed

Ultrasound-assisted oxidative process for sulfur removal from petroleum product feedstock.
Mello, Paola D.; Duarte, Fábio A.; Nunes, Matheus A.; Alencar, Mauricio S.; Moreira, Elizabeth M.; Korn, Mauro2009-04-08
A procedure using ultrasonic irradiation is proposed for sulfur removal of a petroleum product feedstock. The procedure involves the combination of a peroxyacid and ultrasound-assisted treatment in order to comply with the required sulfur content recommen…
Ultrasonics sonochemistry
PubMed

Liquid phase adsorption by microporous coordination polymers: removal of organosulfur compounds.
Cychosz, Katie A.; Wong-Foy, Antek G.; Matzger, Adam J.2008-05-10
The utility of microporous coordination polymers (MCPs) for the adsorption of large organosulfur compounds (benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene) found in fuels is demonstrated. Large capacities are obtained at both low an…
Journal of the American Chemical Society
PubMed

Integrated biodesulfurization process, including inoculum preparation, desulfurization and sulfate removal in a single step, for removing sulfur from oils [electronic resource].
Tangaromsuk, Jantana2008-01-01
AGRICOLA Articles

Electron spin resonance of sulfide catalysts
Silbernagel, B. G.1983-02-01
ESR observations of finely divided MoS2 and MoS3 compounds and sulfided molybdenum species on high surface area alumina supports show two distinct defect classes: an oxygen-coordinated (oxo-Mo5+) form and a sulfur coordinated (thio-Mo5+) form. The density…
Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

SULFUR REDUCTION IN GASOLINE AND DIESEL FUELS BY EXTRACTION/ADSORPTION OF REFRACTORY DIBENZOTHIOPHENES
Scott G. McKinley; Celedonio M. Alvarez
The purpose of this study was to remove thiophene, benzothiophene and dibenzothiophene from a simulated gasoline feedstock. We found that Ru(NH{sub 3}){sub 5}(H{sub 2}O){sup 2+} reacts with a variety of thiophenes (Th*), affording Ru(NH{sub 3}){sub…
NSDL National Science Digital Library

Applications of micellar enzymology to clean coal technology. [Laccase]
Walsh, C. T.
This project is designed to develop methods for pre-combustion coal remediation by implementing recent advances in enzyme biochemistry. The novel approach of this study is incorporation of hydrophilic oxidative enzymes in reverse micelles in an organic so…
NSDL National Science Digital Library

Adsorption removal of thiophene and dibenzothiophene from oils with activated carbon as adsorbent: effect of surface chemistry
Yu, Chang; Qiu, Jie S.; Sun, Yu F.; Li, Xian H.; Chen, Gang; Bin Zhao, Zong
Commercial coconut-based activated carbons (AC), before and after being treated using 65?wt% HNO3 at different temperatures (termed as AC?Hs), were used as adsorbents to remove thiophene (T) or dibenzothiophene (DBT) from model oils. The fresh AC s…
NSDL National Science Digital Library

A NOVEL APPROACH TO CATALYTIC DESULFURIZATION OF COAL
Verkade, John G.
A gas chromatographic method has been developed for the quantitation of sulfur removed from coal as tributyl phosphine sulfide (SPBu{sub 3}). This method also works very well for speciating and quantitating the products of sulfur removal from organosulfur…
NSDL National Science Digital Library

CONFERENCES

Attending conferences is a time-honored way to network and to keep abreast of new developments in your field. If you can’t attend a conference, the next best thing is to go to the conference Web site and browse the topics being addressed. Sometimes you will spot the name of a presenter who you know. Other times you will pick up a new name, who is presenting on a topic of particular interest to you. From there, it is a simple matter to send an email or make contact in some other way.

Here a few examples …

Global Refining Strategies
http://www.globalrefiningsummit.com/programme.asp

KBR Technology Conference (companion to above)
http://technologyconference.kbr.com/2009/Dubai/Agendas/Refining.asp

Sulphur 2009 International Conference and Exhibition
British Sulphur Events
http://crugroup.com/Events/BritishSulphurEvents/sulphur/Pages/Sulphur.aspx

A periodic visit to the Web sites of your favorite industry associations is also worth the effort.

AIChE
http://www.aiche.org/conferences/calendar/2010.aspx

API Calendar of Events
http://www.api.org/meetings/calendar/

NPRA – National Petrochemical & Refiners Association
http://www.npradc.org/meetings/?fa=future

FRONTIERSMEN: CATALYSIS SCIENCE PROGRAM

The DOE’s Catalysis Science Program produces impressive results. Browse through Frontiers in Catalysis-Advanced Synthesis, Characterization, Modeling (2009) to see what the program is designed to do. Included in the document are items specific to desulfurization, but since everything connects to everything else, it is good to get a sense of what is happening in other areas of catalysis, as well.

Read the complete document at: www.er.doe.gov/bes/chm/Publications/.../2009_Catalysis.pdf

The Devil & the Deep Blue Sea: Searching The Hidden Web

You may have heard of the Deep Web, which is the 85% of the Internet that is NOT found by Web crawlers like Google and Yahoo! Wikipedia has a good description of this ocean of information (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_web) In practical terms, this means that you can’t find everything you want just by searching Google. You have to search multiple sites, one at a time.

To demonstrate … the results of searching for recent items containing the two keywords “desulfurization AND gasoline” in the sources listed below revealed a surprising lack of duplication.

Since the table below may not format well in this blog, let me know if you would like a copy in spreadsheet format. Just email me at: research@jeansteinhardtconsulting.com

JSTOR A Framework to Compare Environmental Policies
Science.gov A Photo-Neutron Facility for Time-of-Flight Measurements
JSTOR Air Quality in Postunification Erfurt, East Germany: Associating Changes in Pollutant Concentrations with Changes in Emissions
JSTOR Ambient Conditions Desulfurization of Transportation Fuels with Zeolites under Ambient Conditions
Science.gov Assessing methods for comparing emissions from gasoline and diesel light-duty vehicles based on microscale measurements
Science.gov Biodegradation of diesel oil and gasoline contaminated effluent employing intermittent aeration
JSTOR Cap-and-Trade Policy Challenges: A Tale of Three Markets
Google CBI Gasoline Desulfurization Unit Starts up in GreeceJun 25, 2009
Science.gov Centralizzazione del Servizio di Posta Elettronica per lINFN
JSTOR City Clusters in China: Air and Surface Water Pollution
Science.gov Cuore Experiment: Towers Construction System
Google Deep desulfurization of FCC gasoline by selective adsorption over ...Jul 16, 2009
PapersFirst Deep Desulfurization of Model Gasoline Over Photoirradiated Titanium-Pillared Montmorillonite
EbscoHost Science & Technology Collection Desulfurization by Oxidation/Adsorption Scheme over Ti3(PW12O40)4 Catalyst.
Science.gov Desulfurization from thiophene by SO(4)(2-)/ZrO(2) catalytic oxidation at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.
PapersFirst Desulfurization from thiophene by SO₄ ²⁻/ZrO₂ catalytic oxidation at room temperature and atmospheric pressure
Google Desulfurization of FCC Gasoline: Novel Catalytic Processes with Zeolites ... (30 ppm in gasoline and 15 ppm in diesel) that will be in full force in 2009. ...www.bepress.com/ijcre/vol6/R1/
Google Desulfurization of Gasoline by Extraction with New Ionic Liquids ...Nov 17, 2008
Science.gov Desulfurization of Gasoline using Molecularly Imprinted Chitosan as Selective Adsorbents.
Google Desulfurization of Gasoline with CuCl-Based Ionic Liquids. The desulfurization results of .... Youngseon Shim and Hyung J. Kim. ACS Nano 2009 Article ASAP ...pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ef049879k
Science.gov Detailed chemical kinetic models for the low-temperature combustion of hydrocarbons with application to gasoline and diesel fuel surrogates
Science.gov Determination of highly carcinogenic dibenzopyrene isomers in particulate emissions from two diesel- and two gasoline-fuelled light-duty vehiclesAtmospheric Environment, Volume 43, Issue 25, August
Science.gov Determination of manganese in diesel, gasoline and naphtha by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using microemulsion medium for sample stabilization
Science.gov Deuteron Electromigration in Thin PdWires CoatedWith Nano-Particles: Evidence for Ultra-Fast Deuterium Loading and Anomalous, Large Thermal Effects
Science.gov Development of a time-scale interaction combustion model and its application to gasoline and diesel engines
JSTOR Double Perovskites as Anode Materials for Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells
Google Effects of olefin on adsorptive desulfurization of gasoline over ...May 15, 2009
PapersFirst Effects of olefin on adsorptive desulfurization of gasoline over Ce(IV)Y zeolites.
Science.gov EIA - Energy Topics from A to Z
Science.gov Elemental line scanning of an increment core using EDXRF: from fundamental research to environmental forensics applications Smith, Kevin T.; Balouet, Jean C.; Oudijk, Gil
PapersFirst Enhancing the interfacial stability and solvent-resistant property of PDMS/PES composite membrane by introducing a bifunctional aminosilane
EbscoHost Science & Technology Collection Enhancing the interfacial stability and solvent-resistant property of PDMS/PES composite membrane by introducing a bifunctional aminosilane.
Science.gov Ethanol from wood
InfoTrac General Science Europe.(Aker Kvaerner Germany GmbH agreement with INEOS Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH )( [TABLE OMITTED] Galp Energia will use Chevron Lummus Global's (CLG's) deep-conversion Isocracking technology as a part of its approximately $1.4 billion investment plan to boost margins and increase production for its refineries in Sines and Oporto, Portugal. The investment will enable the refineries to process heavier and cheaper crude oil, to increase diesel production by 2.5 million tpy and decrease fuel oil production. The Galp Energia hydrocracking facility, to be located in Sines, Portugal, will process 43,000 bpd of heavy vacuum gasoils to produce high-quality "sulfur-free" diesel, compliant with the most stringent EURO 5 specifications for the EU. Uhde has an agreement with LUKOIL to engineer and supply clean-fuels plants for diesel and gasoline desulfurization at a LUKOIL refinery in Burgas, Bulgaria. The refining plants for the production of low-sulfur fuels have respective capacities of 1.6 million tpy of diesel and 1.1 million tpy of gasoline, and are scheduled to come onstream in 2009. Together, the two contracts are worth in total approximately [euro]100 million to Uhde. Uhde's scope of supplies and services comprises the detail engineering, supply of equipment, construction support, commissioning supervision and training of the operating personnel. Aker Kvaerner Germany GmbH has a three-year agreement with INEOS Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH to provide engineering services for plants located in Cologne and Marl, Germany. The scope of the agreement covers engineering and design, project management and control services. Procurement, and construction management services, including the coordination and management of subcontractors, are also included in the agreement, as are expediting, quality control, scheduling, process supervision and HSE support. The Linde Group has a contract with BASF to biuld hydrogen plant )(Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd. plans to start a new hydroprocessing complex )
InfoTrac General Science Europe.(M. W. Kellogg Ltd. has a contract to provide detailed engineering and procurement services to Mongstad refinery)(Petrom S.A. building a gasoline desulfurization plant at Brazi, Romania)
Science.gov Experimental investigation of gasoline fumigation in a single cylinder direct injection (DI) diesel engine
Google Free Online Library: Gasoline Desulfurization Unit Starts up in Greece. by ... Second Quarter Financial Results and Reaffirms 2009 Profit Outlook. ...www.thefreelibrary.com/CDTECH+Gasoline+Desulfurization+Unit+Starts+up+in+Greece.-a0202342138
PapersFirst Gasoline desulfurization by catalytic alkylation over silica-supported heteropolyacids: From model reaction to real feed conversion
Google Gasoline Desulfurization Unit Starts up in Greece
Science.gov Global Trade and Fuels Assessment - Future Trends and Effects of Requiring Clean Fuels in the Marine Sector
Google gloriasteel, Fri 24 Apr, 2009 8:03 am, steel plate for welding adsorption catalytic gasoline desulfurization units profile gloria-steel specialises in ...www.traderscity.com/.../1e0682-corten-1e0653-corten-steel-plate-for-welding-adsorption-catalytic-gasoline-desulfurization-57386/
PapersFirst High-throughput heterogeneous catalyst research.
EbscoHost Science & Technology Collection How to meet ultra-low sulfur requirements for gasoline.
PapersFirst How to meet ultra-low sulfur requirements for gasoline.Full Text Available By: Vizcaíno, J. L.; Montero, M.; García, R.; Tola, I.. Hydrocarbon Processing, Feb
Science.gov HPLC analysis of aldehydes in automobile exhaust gas: Comparison of exhaust odor and irritation in different types of gasoline and diesel engines
EbscoHost Science & Technology Collection Hydroisomerization of model FCC naphtha over sulfided Co(Ni)–Mo(W)/MCM-41 catalysts.
PapersFirst Hydroisomerization of model FCC naphtha over sulfided Co(Ni)–Mo(W)/MCM-41 catalysts.
Science.gov New developments and implementations in the field of hydrocarbon-stock desulfurization [electronic resource].
EbscoHost Science & Technology Collection New insight on competitive reactions during deep HDS of FCC gasoline.
PapersFirst New insight on competitive reactions during deep HDS of FCC gasoline.
Science.gov Papers presented at EPAC 2008
Google Pemex voids tender for gasoline desulfurization units, Mexico, Oil ...May 29, 2009
EbscoHost Science & Technology Collection Pervaporation separation of n-heptane/sulfur species mixtures with polydimethylsiloxane membranes.
Science.gov Photochemical oxidation of thiophene in an n-octane/acetonitrile extraction system using O(2) as oxidant was studied. Results obtained here can be used as a reference for desulfurization of gasoline, because thiophene is one of the main comp…
Google PROCESS FOR THE DEEP DESULFURIZATION OF HEAVY ...Jul 21, 2009
JSTOR Review: Rocky Mountain Visions: A Review Essay
Science.gov Simulations of off-momentum particle trajectories along Dafne optics
PapersFirst Sinopec Builds Clean Fuel Plant in Shanghai.Full Text Available China Chemical Reporter, 1/26/
Google Sinopec Zhenhai to start Euro IV gasoline production by end-2009 ... a 1.5 million mt/year gasoline desulfurization unit at its refinery by the end of 2009, ...www.platts.com/Oil/News/7064457.xml
EbscoHost Science & Technology Collection Studies on polyethylene glycol/polyethersulfone composite membranes for FCC gasoline desulphurization by pervaporation.
Science.gov Study of the Bernstein Waves Heating in the WEGA Stellarator Plasma and Possible Applications to ECRIS ECR Ion Sources
Science.gov Summary and Analysis of the 2007 Nonroad Diesel Fuel Pre-Compliance Reports
Science.gov Summary and Analysis of the 2008 Nonroad Diesel Fuel Pre-Compliance Reports
Science.gov Technical Design Report of a Superconducting Model Dipole for FAIR SIS300
Google Texas Refinery Desulfurization, Gasoline Downstream Charge Capacity as of January 1 (Barrels per ... Release Date: 6/20/2008. Next Release Date: 6/30/2009 ...tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/hist/8_na_8cddg_stx_5a.htm
Science.gov The final report summarizes the accomplishments toward project goals during length of the project. The goal of this project was to integrate coal into a refinery in order to produce coal-based jet fuel, with the major goal to examine the products other th…
EbscoHost Science & Technology Collection The Oxidation-Extraction Desulfurization of FCC Gasoline.
EbscoHost Science & Technology Collection The Research of Ultra-deep Desulfurization in Diesel via Ultrasonic Irradiation Under the Catalytic System of H2O2-CH3COOH-FeSO4.
PapersFirst The Research of Ultra-deep Desulfurization in Diesel via Ultrasonic Irradiation Under the Catalytic System of H2O2-CH3COOH-FeSO4.
Science.gov Theoretical investigation of heat balance in direct injection (DI) diesel engines for neat diesel fuel and gasoline fumigation
EbscoHost Science & Technology Collection Thiophene conversion under mild conditions over a ZSM-5 catalyst.
PapersFirst Thiophene conversion under mild conditions over a ZSM-5 catalyst.
JSTOR Thirty Years and Counting: Bioremediation in Its Prime?
Google U.S. Markets close in 2 hours and 8 minutes. Send us feedback. ... Gasoline Desulfurization Unit Starts up in Greece ...biz.yahoo.com/bw/090625/20090625005179.html?.v=1
InfoTrac General Science Use real-time optimization for low-sulfur gasoline production.
Science.gov Using mass spectral source signatures to apportion exhaust particles from gasoline and diesel powered vehicles in a freeway study using UF-ATOFMS

Google Scholar

Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com) is worth bookmarking. Green Car Congress described a desulfurization process being developed by a Chinese research team (“Desulfurizing Diesel with Ionic Liquids at Room Temperature” at: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/05/desulfurizing-il-20090522.html)

The article piqued my interest. It referenced the primary source …

Hongshuai Gao, Yuguang Li, Yong Wu, Mingfang Luo, Qiang Li, Jianmin Xing and Huizhou Liu (2009) Extractive Desulfurization of Fuel Using 3-Methylpyridinium-Based Ionic Liquids. Energy Fuels, 23 (5), pp 2690–2694 doi: 10.1021/ef900009g

I wanted to know more about the authors. When I searched “Hongshuai Gao” on Google Scholar, the result was 49 hits, including the following …

CITATION] High-efficiency desulfurization by adsorption with mesoporous aluminosilicates
W Li, Q Liu, J Xing, H Gao, X Xiong, Y Li, X Li, … - AIChE Journal, 2007 - Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company …
Cited by 5 - Related articles - BL Direct - All 4 versions

Oxidative desulfurization of light gas oil and vacuum gas oil by oxidation and solvent …
S Otsuki, T Nonaka, N Takashima, W Qian, A … - Energy Fuels, 2000 - pubs.acs.org
The oxidation of model sulfur compounds (thiophene derivatives, benzothiophene
derivatives, and dibenzothiophene derivatives), straight run-light gas oil
(SR-LGO, S: 1.35 wt %), and vacuum gas oil (VGO, S: 2.17 wt %) were ...
Cited by 168 - Related articles - BL Direct - All 6 versions

Desulfurization of Fuel by Extraction with Pyridinium-Based Ionic Liquids
H Gao, M Luo, J Xing, Y Wu, Y Li, W Li, Q Liu, … - Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2008 - pubs.acs.org
The pyridinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) N-butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate
([BPy][BF 4 ]), N-hexylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate ([HPy][BF 4 ]), and
N-octylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate ([OPy][BF 4 ]) were found to be ...
Cited by 1 - Related articles

Influence of structural variation in room-temperature ionic liquids on the selectivity and …
S Chun, SV Dzyuba, RA Bartsch - Anal. Chem, 2001 - pubs.acs.org
An improved method for the preparation of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium
hexafluorophosphates provides a series of room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs)
in which the 1-alkyl group is varied systematically from butyl to nonyl. ...
Cited by 155 - Related articles - BL Direct - All 4 versions

Intensification of micromixing efficiency in a ceramic membrane reactor with turbulence …
Y Wu, C Hua, W Li, Q Li, H Gao, H Liu - Journal of Membrane Science, 2009 - Elsevier
Micromixing efficiency in a ceramic membrane reactor (CMR) by using turbulence
promoters was studied with iodide–iodate test reaction. The existing
incorporation model did not take into account concentration gradient. To ...
Related articles

Effects of Podophyllum Emodi Polysaccharide on Immune Function and Antioxidant …
S Xue-hong, HU Ting-jun, C Jiong-ran, GAO … - xmsyxb.com
Abstract A water-soluble polysaccharide from root of Podophyllum Emodi was
obtained through boiling water. The physical and chemical characteristics of the
Podophyllum Emodi polysaccharides(PEP) was analyzed by filter paper ...
Cached

Desulfurization of Diesel Fuel by Extraction with Lewis-Acidic Ionic Liquid
H Gao, J Xing, Y Li, W Li, Q Liu, H Liu - Separation Science and Technology, 2009 - informaworld.com
Abstract: Ionic liquids were found to be highly selective for the extractive
removal of aromatic sulfur compounds from fuels at room temperature. The effi-
ciency of ionic liquids for the removal of aromatic sulfur compounds is ...
Related articles - All 5 versions

Immobilization of Ionic Liquid [BMIM][PF6] by Spraying Suspension Dispersion Method
H Gao, J Xing, X Xiong, Y Li, W Li, Q Liu, Y Wu … - Ind. Eng. Chem. Res, 2008 - pubs.acs.org
A novel method of immobilizing ionic liquid of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium
hexafluorophosphate [BMIM][PF 6 ] by spraying suspension dispersion was
proposed. The oil phase, composed of [BMIM][PF 6 ], polysulfone, and ...

In situ magnetic separation and immobilization of dibenzothiophene-desulfurizing bacteria
YG Li, HS Gao, WL Li, JM Xing, HZ Liu - Bioresource Technology, 2009 - Elsevier
In situ cell separation and immobilization of bacterial cells for
biodesulfurization were developed by using superparamagnetic Fe 3 O 4
nanoparticles (NPs). The Fe 3 O 4 NPs were synthesized by coprecipitation ...

104a Desulfurization of Diesel Fuel by Extraction with Lewis-Acidic Ionic Liquid
H Gao, J Xing - nt.ntnu.no
In the last decade, much attention has been paid to the deep desulfurization of
fuels due to more stringent environmental regulations. [1] Although
hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is highly efficient in removing thiols, ...
Related articles - Cached

h-Index

“Catalysis for Energy: Fundamental Science and Long-Term Impacts of the U.S. Department of Energy Basic Energy Science Catalysis Science Program” (National Academies Press, 2009) is filled with useful information, beyond the obvious. For example, take a look at TABLE 3-5 H-index ranking of select prominent chemists with relevance to the Catalysis Science Program, according to 2008 H-Index, H-Index Rank, and Field of Chemistry (other prominent chemists listed for comparison). The h-Index, according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-index) “…is an index that attempts to measure both the scientific productivity and the apparent scientific impact of a scientist.”

Table 3-5 lists those h-index chemists that are relevant to the Catalysis Science Program. Because catalysis research lies at the core of advancing effective desulfurization technology, the table is an excellent starting point for identifying potential consultants with expertise in your area of interest.

View the full text of the report at …
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12532.html