Oxidation of Dibenzothiophene by the Use of TS-1 Zeolite Prepared in the Presence of Polyvinyl Alcohol

Titanosilicalite-1 (TS-1) is a strong alternative for oxidative desulfurization of the fuels. The catalytic activity of this catalyst toward oxidation of organosulfur compound such as dibenzothiophene (DBT) is influenced by two factors of crystal size and framework Ti content. In this study, synthesized TS-1 zeolites at the presence and absence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were synthesized. The TS-1 zeolite synthesized at the presence of PVA (TS-1-PVA) possess average crystal size of 100 nm while normal TS-1 synthesized at the absence of PVA showed crystal size of 210 nm. The TS-1-PVA and TS-1 showed similar framework Ti content. The obtained TS-1 zeolites were evaluated toward oxidation of bulky substrate of DBT. Moreover, oxidation of DBT by TS-1-PVA resulted in full conversion (100%) while normal TS-1 showed conversion of 26%. The higher catalytic activity of TS-1-PVA than that of normal TS-1 is coming mainly from much smaller particle size and preserved framework Ti content. Finally, the above results showed the possibility of modification of TS-1 zeolite at the presence of PVA for deep desulfurization of the fuels.