Preparation of AAO-CeO2 nanotubes and their application in electrochemical oxidation desulfurization of diesel

Xiaoqing Du; Yumeng Yang; Chenxi Yi; Yu Chen; Chao Cai; Zhao Zhang

doi:10.1088/1361-6528/aa5271

Preparation of AAO-CeO₂ nanotubes and their application in electrochemical oxidation desulfurization of diesel

Nanotechnology. 2017 Feb 10;28(6):065708. doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa5271. Epub 2017 Jan 9.

Authors

Xiaoqing Du¹, Yumeng Yang, Chenxi Yi, Yu Chen, Chao Cai, Zhao Zhang

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310027, People's Republic of China.

PMID: 28067206
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa5271

Abstract

The coaxial arrays of AAO-CeO₂ NTs have been successfully galvanostatically deposited on an anode, characterized and adopted as a catalyst for removing organic sulfurs from diesel. The influence of the main electrochemical oxidation factors on the efficiency of desulfurization have also been investigated. The results show that the fabrication process of AAO-CeO₂ NTs is accompanied by the formation of a new phase, namely Al₃Ce, and the main oxidation products of the diesel are soluble inorganic sulphides, especially Ce₂(SO₄)₃. When compared with dibenzothiophene and 4, 6-dimethyldibenzothiophene, benzothiophene is much more easily removed, with a removal efficiency that reaches 87.2%. Finally, a possible electrochemical oxidation desulfurization pathway for diesel is proposed.