Abstract
Six Lewis acid ionic liquids were synthesized and employed as extractants for desulfurization of the model oil containing dibenzothiophene (DBT). Very promising ionic liquid was 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride-FeCl3 ([bmim]Cl/FeCl3), which performed best in the studied ionic liquids under the same operating conditions. It can remove DBT from model oil after continuous extraction for four steps, and the desulfurization efficiency can reach 97.9% under mild reaction conditions. Other sulfur-containing compounds were also investigated. The used ionic liquid could be regenerated six times without a significant decrease in activity.
Notes
a The melting point of T4Cl/FeCl3 is higher; therefore, operating temperature was 70°C.