ADVANCED NANOPOROUS MATERIALS FOR THE DEEP DESULFURIZATION OF LIQUID FUELS VIA ADSORPTION IN MILD CONDITIONS (DeSulfur)
Total Budget
991.539,48 €
Duration
7/2020 – 7/2023
The project is implemented under the Action “RESEARCH – CREATE – INNOVATE Β’ CALL” which is co‐financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (EPAnEK 2014-2020) (project code: Τ2ΕΔΚ-01976)
Scope of the project
DeSulfur project focuses on the design, development, and comprehensive evaluation of advanced nanoporous materials for the removal, through mild adsorption, of sulfur compounds from liquid refinery fuels (diesel, gasoline, naphtha). The project aims at an alternative liquid fuel desulfurization technology that has the potential to offer further flexibility and environmental benefits over the current refinery hydrodesulfurization technique.
Project partners
A.U.Th. team
Main objectives
- Design and develop of novel nanoporous activated carbon materials, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) based nanomaterials, mesoporous silicas & metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) aiming to achieve ultra-deep deSulfurization from petrol (gasoline) or diesel fuels.
- Partial supplement of the current hydrodesulfurization (HDS) method and/or the creation of an alternative deep desulfurization for decentralized applications (e.g., thermochemical steam reforming of liquid fuels for H2production).
- Tune and optimize the key physicochemical properties of the utilized materials in order to maximize the selective and fast deSulfurization performance under dynamic flow continuous conditions with regeneration capability towards ultralow sulfur content (<5 ppmS).
- To utilize biomass or wastes as renewable feedstock for the synthesis of the deSulfurization media/adsorbents.
- To explore the involved mechanisms and to determine which (aromatic) compounds affect the desulfurization efficiency in order to suppress the antagonistic surface phenomena.
- Upscale of the processes.
- Techno-economic evaluation of the proposed materials and processes, as well as life-cycle analysis for commercial exploitation.
Quantitative Objectives
- Performance of materials in desulfurization (breakthrough capacity) that will exceed the value of 30 L of fuel / kg of adsorbent material for a target value of total sulfur content < 2 ppmw.
- Ability to use the material for at least 10 desulphurization-regeneration cycles with an accumulated reduction in efficiency during the 10 cycles that will not exceed 20%.
- Total process cost that will not exceed the target price of 0.10 €/liter of desulphurized fuel produced.
Derived Publications
- Modeling the Liquid Fuel Desulfurization Efficiency of Activated Carbons before and after Chemical Treatment: The Competitive Role of Mono- and Diaromatics,
https://suschemtec.web.auth.gr/?p=2139
E.D. Salonikidou, D.A. Giannakoudakis, M. Kostoglou, K.S. Triantafyllidis, ACS Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (2022), 61, 43, 15933–15947 (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.2c02794)
- Deep desulfurization of model fuels by metal-free activated carbons: the impact of surface oxidation and antagonistic effects by mono- and poly-aromatics,
https://suschemtec.web.auth.gr/?p=1969
E.D. Salonikidou, D.A. Giannakoudakis, E.A. Deliyanni, K.S. Triantafyllidis, Journal Molecular Liquids 351(2022) 118661,
- Dynamic/column tests for dibenzothiophene (DBT) removal using chemically functionalized carbons: exploring the effect of physicochemical features and breakthrough modeling,
https://suschemtec.web.auth.gr/?p=1981
Kakamouka, C. Gavriel, E.D. Salonikidou, D.A. Giannakoudakis, M. Kostoglou, K. Triantafyllidis, E. Deliyanni,
Colloids Surfaces A: Physicochemicla Engineering Aspects (2022) 128597, (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2022.128597)
Highlights & Results dissemination
“Links to the published news”
- Members of our team participated at the 16thConference of the Greek Catalysis Society, which was held in Mikis Theodorakis venue at the city of Chania, Crete Island, Greece, between 20-22 of October (https://www.16psc.tuc.gr/el/archi ) https://suschemtec.web.auth.gr/?p=2289
- Participation at the Desulfurization 3rd meeting / https://suschemtec.web.auth.gr/?p=1903
- Participation of Prof. Triantafyllidis’ group in Carbon 2022 Conference, 5-8 July 2022 / https://suschemtec.web.auth.gr/?p=1863
- Dimitrios Giannakoudakis received the Royal Society of Chemistry AWARD for the best poster presentation for the work “Biomass-derived activated carbons for the desulfurization of model fuels” in Carbon 2022 Conference, 5-8 July 2022. / https://suschemtec.web.auth.gr/?p=1863
Project website