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Desulfurization with transition metal catalysts. Final technical report, August 1, 1977-July 31, 1979

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5254181

Since existing desulfurization procedures generally require elevated temperatures, high pressures of hydrogen and the use of heterogeneous catalysts, such methods are unsuitable for the mild, controlled, stepwise degradation of coal required for coal structural studies. At the same time, such processes are not the most efficient or economical for the practical purification of coal-derived fuels and chemicals. By replacing certain heterogeneous transition-metal catalysts by homogeneous or polymer-bonded catalysts, many important reactions, such as hydrogenation, unsaturated-hydrocarbon oligomerization and hydroformylation, show significant gains in rate or selectivity. Therefore, it is appealing to consider whether the catalytic scission of carbon-sulfur bonds might be achievable at much lower temperatures and pressures by the use of soluble transition-metal catalysts. Such mild desulfurizing conditions might mean a saving of time, energy and equipment expense for industrial processes used in desulfurizing coal-derived fuels and chemicals. In addition, homogeneous agents capable of cleaving carbon-sulfur bonds at low temperatures could be valuable in selectively degrading the macrostructure of various coals themselves into fragments suitable for structural studies. Ongoing research has uncovered novel nickel (0) reagents that desulfurize dibenzothiophene in an homogeneous medium at temperatures below 100/sup 0/. The first objective of this research, therefore, has been to make a thorough study of the mechanism and scope of this desulfurization, in which study a variety of organic sulfur compounds are being examined and the experimental variables maximized for mild, complete reaction. The second objective has been to evaluate low- or zero-valent transition metal compounds of molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt and iron, and to test their desulfurizing efficacy on a series of model organosulfur derivatives.

Research Organization:
State Univ. of New York, Binghamton (USA). Dept. of Chemistry
OSTI ID:
5254181
Report Number(s):
FE-2739-T1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English