Preparation of magnetic hydrophobic Cu+-containing mesoporous materials and their performance in adsorption and removal of organic sulfides from simulated gasoline

Sulfur-containing gases produced during the utilization of petroleum fuels are the main cause of air pollution. To remove organic sulfur-containing compounds from simulated gasoline, magnetic hydrophobic Cu⁺-containing SBA-15 mesoporous molecular sieves (PMS-Cu⁺) were prepared by magnetization of the sample, loading and reduction of copper ion and hydrophobic treatment of the sample. The composition and structure of the synthesized composites were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, and XPS, which proved the successful preparation of the adsorbent PMS-Cu⁺. In addition, it was also investigated on the adsorption capacity of the prepared adsorbent for organic sulfur compounds in simulated gasoline and the factors affecting the desulfurization performance. Through the kinetic study of the adsorption process, it was found that the process conformed to the quasi-secondary kinetic properties, the adsorption process was dominated by chemical adsorption, and internal and external diffusion co-determined the adsorption rate. Moreover, the apparent activation energy of the adsorption process was 50.83 kJ/mol.