Highly stable Ni/ZnO‐Al2O3 adsorbent promoted by TiO2 for reactive adsorption desulfurization

Abstract The reactive adsorption desulfurization is an important and efficient technology for the ultra‐deep desulfurization of gasoline. The performance of an adsorbent is vital for the efficiency of the reactive adsorption desulfurization process. The formation of inert spinels is commonly recognized for the deactivation of adsorbents. In this work, TiO2 was incorporated in the Ni/ZnO‐Al2O3 adsorbent to inhibit the formation of the spinel phase. The TiO2 formed a stable protection layer on the surface of Al2O3, which prevented the interaction between Al2O3 and ZnO, inhibiting the formation of the ZnAl2O4 spinel phase. The introduction of TiO2 significantly improved the stability of the adsorbents during cyclic hydrothermal treatments, while the sulfur capacity slightly dropped. Characterization results revealed that TiO2 was homogeneously dispersed on the surface of Al2O3 support and the incorporation of TiO2 could maintain a certain amount of Lewis acid sites in the adsorbents, which are favorable for the adsorption of organo‐sulfur compounds