Efficient Adsorptive Desulfurization of Dibenzothiophene Using Bimetallic Ni-Cr/ZSM-5 Zeolite Catalysts

Sulfur compounds in fossil fuels pose significant environmental and industrial challenges, creating a demand for efficient and sustainable desulfurization strategies. Among the available techniques, adsorptive desulfurization has emerged as a promising approach due to its operational simplicity and low energy requirements. In this study, a Ni–Cr modified ZSM-5 zeolite was synthesized to enhance the removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT) from model fuel. The catalyst was prepared by incorporating varying metal loadings and evaluated to identify optimal performance. Structural and chemical characterizations, including FESEM, XRD, NH3-TPD, FTIR, EDS, and BET analyses, confirmed the successful integration of nickel and chromium within the zeolite framework and demonstrated improved acidity and surface features favorable for adsorption. The catalyst containing 3% chromium and 5% nickel exhibited the highest activity, removing approximately 76% of DBT. Moreover, the optimized material maintained its adsorption efficiency over three consecutive reuse cycles, indicating strong stability and regeneration capability. Overall, the results demonstrate that Ni–Cr/ZSM-5 is a promising and sustainable adsorbent for sulfur removal applications and offers valuable potential for cleaner fuel processing technologies.