Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Kinetics and mechanism of desulfurization and denitrogenation of coal-derived liquids. Sixth quarterly report, September 21, 1976--December 20, 1976

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6777861· OSTI ID:6777861

Two high-pressure flow microreactors continue to function effectively for studies of the hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene, methyl-substituted dibenzothiophene and also for studies of the hydrodenitrogenation of quinoline. The hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene has been examined in a flow system in a totally reproducible fashion free from catalyst deactivation for extended periods. The reaction is first-order in dibenzothiophene, and all of the reaction products except H/sub 2/S are sulfur free. A program for determining the kinetics and reaction network of methyl-substituted dibenzothiophenes was started. For example, the rate for hydrodesulfurization of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene is about one-fifth the rate for dibenzothiophene. The hydrocarbon reaction products except H/sub 2/S are sulfur free; therefore, the initial point of attack is concluded to be the C-S bond. The hydrodenitrogenation of quinoline was examined further by replacing white oil with hexadecane; this substitution permits the determination of the nitrogen-free reaction products by gas chromatography. These studies show that the C-N bond is broken after at least the heterocyclic ring and preferably both rings are hydrogenated. The hydrogenolysis reactions are rate limiting for the overall process of nitrogen removal. The hydrodenitrogenation of acridine is slower than that of quinoline. The reaction network shows that the molecule must be hydrogenated before nitrogen removal occurs at a significant rate.

Research Organization:
Delaware Univ., Newark (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA)
DOE Contract Number:
EX-76-C-01-2028
OSTI ID:
6777861
Report Number(s):
FE-2028-7
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English