Adsorptive Removal of Thiophene from Benzene by NaY Zeolite Ion-Exchanged with Ce(IV)

Abstract

The commercial NaY zeolite with the Si/Al ratio of 5:1 was selected and modified for researching the adsorptive removal of thiophene from benzene. The zeolite was ion-exchanged in Ce(NO₃)₃ solution and then calcined in muffle to prepare the CeY sorbent. The results show that it is a suitable method to prepare the sorbent removing thiophene from benzene that NaY zeolite is ion-exchanged by cerium in Ce(NO₃)₃ solution. The desulfurization efficiency of CeY sorbent increases obviously comparing with NaY zeolite. The effects of the calcination temperature, calcination time, concentration of Ce(NO₃)₃ solution, ion-exchange time, and ion-exchange times on the desulfurization capacity of CeY sorbent were also studied. The results show that the optimal CeY sorbent can be obtained when NaY zeolite is ion-exchanged in 0.5 mol/L Ce(NO₃)₃ solution at 100°C for 4 h, calcined at 700°C for 2 h, and repeated the above steps two times. The results of XRD and BET characterization indicate that those preparation conditions mainly influence on the crystallinity, specific surface area of CeY sorbent. The best CeY sorbent can remove thiophene to 136.8 mg/L from 550.0 mg/L in thiophene-benzene solution at ambient temperature and pressure with the agent-liquid ratio of 1:16 (g/mL).

Keywords:

• adsorption
• benzene
• CeY sorbent
• desulfurization
• thiophene

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanxi Province Basic Conditions Platform for Science and Technology Project (2010091015), Research Project Supported by Shanxi Scholarship Council of China, Taiyuan City Science and Technology Bureau of China (110148085), Excellent Innovation Project of Shanxi Graduates, China (20113032), and Research Project supported by Shanxi Scholarship Council of China (2012-039).