Dibenzothiophene capture from model fuel by wild mustard stems derived activated carbon: kinetics and isothermal evaluations

ABSTRACT

Wild mustard stems (WMS) are exploited as a potential and priceless feedstock for activated carbon (AC) synthesis through the optimised ZnCl₂ activation method. Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), surface area (BET), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR), and Boehm titration method have employed in identifying the AC. The as-obtained AC was applied in the desulphurisation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) from synthetic gasoline and commercial gasoline samples. A 96.02% as a maximum removal efficiency of DBT from model gasoline was obtained at 30°C for a contact time of 30 minutes using 25 mL of 200 mg/L DBT solution and 0.40 g of the AC. The adsorption data have analysed for their adsorption isotherms, and the consequences followed the following order: Langmuir model > Freundlich model> Temkin model. The kinetics studies revealed that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model obeyed best the adsorption data. The desulphurisation study of the commercial gasoline through applying the best adsorption conditions gave a removal efficiency of 50.22% compared to 96.02% for the model gasoline. In conclusion, the present investigation offers a cheap and potential feedstock to create AC as an adsorbent for both model and commercial gasoline fuel desulphurisation.

KEYWORDS:

• Wild mustard stems derived activated carbon
• adsorptive desulphurisation
• DBT
• adsorption isotherms and kinetics
• real and model gasoline

Acknowledgments

The support obtainable by Mosul University, College of Science, Chemistry Department is high acknowledged by the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).