A review on main challenges of hydrodesulfurization process for sulfur removal from fossil fuels

Document Type : Review

Author

Petroleum Refining Technology Development Division, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Increasing usage of fossil fuels, is polluting environment with an ascending rate. In addition to carbon dioxide, using crude oil leads to emitting sulfur oxides, which in the environment leads to acidification of rainfall and soil and pollution of water resources, and in human can exacerbate heart and respiratory diseases. Moreover, presence of sulfur in petroleum refining is unpleasant since can lead to catalysis deactivation, corrosion of equipment, scale formation, etc. To decrease effects of these pollutants, in many countries environmental regulations are developed to reduce sulfur in petroleum products. The process which is currently used in refineries to reduce sulfur level is hydrodesulfurization. This technology at high temperature and pressure by using hydrogen and in presence of the catalysts, convert sulfur atom in organic compounds to hydrogen sulfide. However, hydrodesulfurization faces with many obstacles and challenges, which in this paper most important issues in this regards are addressed.

Keywords

References

 
[1] MathPro Inc. (2011) 'An introduction to petroleum refining and the production of ultra low sulfur gasoline and diesel fuel', International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), Bethesda, MD.
[2] D. Largeteau, J. Ross, M. Laborde and L. Wisdom (2012) 'Challenges and opportunities of 10 ppm sulphur gasoline: Part 1', Petroleum Technology Quarterly (PTQ)
[3] D. Largeteau, J. Ross, M. Laborde and L. Wisdom (2012) 'Challenges and opportunities of 10 ppm sulphur gasoline: Part 2', Petroleum Technology Quarterly (PTQ)
[4] M. Lappinen and T. Higgins (2013) 'Review of EPA proposed Tier 3 motor gasoline refinery cost model', Hart Energy: Research and Consulting, McLean, VA.
[5] B.C. Gates and H. Topsøe (1997) 'Reactivities in deep catalytic hydrodesulfurization: Challenges, opportunities, and the importance of 4-methyldibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene', Polyhedron, 16, 3213–3217.
[6] E. Furimsky and F.E. Massoth (1999) 'Deactivation of hydroprocessing catalysts', Catalysis Today, 52, 381–495.
[7] S. Inoue, T. Takatsaku, Y. Wada, S. Hirohama and T. Ushida (2000) 'Distribution function model for deep desulfurization of diesel fuel', Fuel, 79, 843–849.
[8] J.G. Speight (2011) The Refinery of the Future, Gulf Professional Publishing, Oxford, UK.
[9] J.G. Speight (2014) The Chemistry and Technology of Petroleum, Fifth Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
[10] J.G. Speight (2000) The Desulfurization of Heavy Oils and Residua, 2nd Edition, Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, NY.
[11] J.G. Speight and B. Ozum (2001) Petroleum Refining Processes, CRC Press, New York, NY.
[12] S. Parkash (2003) Refining Processes Handbook, Gulf Professional Publishing, Amsterdam, Netherland.
[13] C.S. Hsu and P.R. Robinson (2006) Practical Advances in Petroleum Processing, Springer ScienceBusiness Media, Inc., New York, NY.
[14] J. Ancheyta and J.G. Speight (2007) Hydroprocessing Heavy Oils and Residua, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
[15] J.H. Gary, G.E. Handwerk and M.J. Kaiser (2007) Petroleum Refining: Technology and Economics, Fifth Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
[16] N. Gupta, P.K. Roychoudhury and J.K. Deb (2005) 'Biotechnology of desulfurization of diesel: prospects and challenges', Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 66, 356–366.
[17] I.V. Babich and J.A. Moulijn (2003) 'Science and technology of novel processes for deep desulfurization of oil refinery streams: A review', Fuel, 82, 607–631.
[18] I. Bustos-Jaimes, G. Amador, G. Castorena and S. Le Borgne (2003) 'Genotypic characterization of sulfur-oxidative desulfurizing bacterial strains isolated from mexican refineries', Oil & Gas Science and Technology - Rev. IFP, 58, 521–526.
[19] E. Franchi, F. Rodriguez, L. Serbolisca and F. De Ferra (2003) 'Vector development, isolation of new promoters and enhancement of the catalytic activity of the Dsz enzyme complex in Rhodococcus sp. strains', Oil & Gas Science and Technology - Rev. IFP, 58, 515-520.
[20] N.S. El-Gendy and J.G. Speight (2016) Handbook of Refinery Desulfurization, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
[21] P.S. Tam, J.R. Kittrell and J.W. Eldridge (1990) 'Desulfurization of fuel oil by oxidation and extraction. 1. Enhancement of extraction oil yield', Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 29, 321–324.
[22] F. Zannikos, E. Lois and S. Stournas (1995) 'Desulfurization of petroleum fractions by oxidation and solvent extraction', Fuel Processing Technology, 42, 35-45.
[23] S. Otsuki, T. Nonaka, N. Takashima, W. Qian, A. Ishihara, T. Imai and T. Kabe (2000) 'Oxidative desulfurization of light gas oil and vacuum gas oil by oxidation and solvent extraction', Energy & Fuels, 14, 1232–1239.
[24] S.C. Schuman and H. Shalit (1971) 'Hydrodesulfurization', Catalysis Reviews: Science and Engineering, 4, 245–318.
[25] G.C.A. Schuit and B.C. Gates (1973) 'Chemistry and engineering of catalytic hydrodesulfurization', AIChE Journal, 19, 417–438.
[26] P. Grange (1980) 'Catalytic hydrodesulfurization', Catalysis Reviews: Science and Engineering, 21, 135–181.
[27] H.T. Rall, C.J. Thompson, H.J. Coleman and R.L. Hopkins (1972) 'Sulfur compounds in crude oil', United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Washington, D.C.
[28] B.H. Eccleston, M. Morrison and H.M. Smith (1952) 'Elemental sulfur in crude oil', Analytical Chemistry, 24, 1745–1748.
[29] W.L. Orr (1978) 'Sulfur in heavy oils, oil sands and oil shales', in: O.P. Strausz and E.M. Lown, Oil Sand and Oil Shale Chemistry, Verlag Chemie, New York, NY.
[30] R. Javadli and A. de Klerk (2012) 'Desulfurization of heavy oil', Applied Petrochemical Research, 1, 3–19.
[31] X. Ma, L. Sun and C. Song (2002) 'A new approach to deep desulfurization of gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel by selective adsorption for ultra-clean fuels and for fuel cell applications', Catalysis Today, 77, 107–116.
[32] A. Stanislaus, A. Marafi and M.S. Rana (2010) 'Recent advances in the science and technology of ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) production', Catalysis Today, 153, 1–68.
[33] C. Song (2003) 'An overview of new approaches to deep desulfurization for ultra-clean gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel', Catalysis Today, 86, 211–263.
[34] C. Song and X. Ma (2003) 'New design approaches to ultra-clean diesel fuels by deep desulfurization and deep dearomatization', Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 41, 207–238.
[35] C. Song and X. Ma (2004) 'Ultra-deep desulfurization of liquid hydrocarbon fuels: Chemistry and process', International Journal of Green Energy, 1, 167–191.
[36] S.K. Bej, S.K. Maity and U.T. Turaga (2004) 'Search for an efficient 4,6-DMDBT hydrodesulfurization catalyst:  A review of recent studies', Energy & Fuels, 18, 1227–1237.
[37] M.J. Girgis and B.C. Gates (1991) 'Reactivities, reaction networks, and kinetics in high-pressure catalytic hydroprocessing', Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 30, 2021–2058.
[38] M.I. Ahmad, N. Zhang and M. Jobson (2011) 'Integrated design of diesel hydrotreating processes', Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 89, 1025–1036.
[39] Y. Mukai, T. Hisamitsu and Y. Mizutani (2001) 'Survey of petroleum refining technology for high-quality (ultra-low sulfur content) diesel fuel', Petroleum Energy Center, Tokyo, Japan.
[40] Office of Transportation and Air Quality (2004) 'Final regulatory analysis: Control of emissions from nonroad diesel engines', U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, United States.
[41] D. Allan and P.E. Davis (2007) 'Refining review—A look behind the fence', Oilfield Review, 19, 14–21.
[42] J.J. Conti, P.D. Holtberg, J.R. Diefenderfer, A.C. LaRose, J.T. Turnure and L.D. Westfall (2016) 'Annual energy outlook 2016 with projections to 2040', U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Washington, DC.
[43] H. Alboudwarej, J. Felix, S. Taylor, R. Badry, C. Bremner, B. Brough, C. Skeates, A. Baker, D. Palmer, K. Pattison, M. Beshry, P. Krawchuk, G. Brown, R. Calvo, J.A.C. Triana, R. Hathcock, K. Koerner, T. Hughes, D. Kundu, J.L. de Cárdenas and C. West (2006) 'Highlighting heavy oil', Oilfield Review, 18, 34–53.
[44] Jr. M. Carrales and R.W. Martin (1975) 'Sulfur content of crude oils', United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Washington, D.C.
[45] J.W. Bunger, K.P. Thomas and S.M. Dorrence (1979) 'Compound types and properties of Utah and Athabasca tar sand bitumens', Fuel, 58, 183–195.
[46] D. Monticello (1998) 'Riding the fossil fuel biodesulfurization wave', Chemtech, 28, 38-45.
[47] W.D. McHale (1981) 'Process for removing sulfur from petroleum oils', United States Patent 4,283,270.
[48] M. Egorova (2003) 'Study of aspects of deep hydrodesulfurization by means of model reactions', Doctor of Technical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
[49] X. Ma, K. Sakanishi and I. Mochida (1994) 'Hydrodesulfurization reactivities of various sulfur compounds in diesel fuel', Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 33, 218–222.
[50] A.J. Hernández-Maldonado and R.T. Yang (2004) 'Desulfurization of diesel fuels by adsorption via π-complexation with vapor-phase exchanged cu(i)−y zeolites', Journal of the American Chemical Society, 126, 992–993.
[51] A.J. Hernández‐Maldonado and R.T. Yang (2004) 'New sorbents for desulfurization of diesel fuels via π‐complexation', AIChE Journal, 50, 791-801.
[52] R.M. Atlas, D.J. Boron, W.R. Deever, A.R. Johnson, B.L. McFarland and J.A. Meyer (2001) 'Method for removing organic sulfur from heterocyclic sulfur-containing organic compounds', United States Statutory Invention Registration H1986 H.
[53] W.R. Gilbert (2014) 'Formation of thiophenic species in FCC gasoline from H2S generating sulfur sources in FCC conditions', Fuel, 121, 65–71.
[54] T. Sutikno (1999) 'Optimal HDS for lower-sulfur gasoline depends on several factors', Oil & Gas Journal, 97, 55–59.
[55] J. Ancheyta (2016) Deactivation of Heavy Oil Hydroprocessing Catalysts: Fundamentals and Modeling, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ.
[56] P.J. de Wild, R.G. Nyqvist, F.A. de Bruijn and E.R. Stobbe (2006) 'Removal of sulphur-containing odorants from fuel gases for fuel cell-based combined heat and power applications', Journal of Power Sources, 159, 995-1004.
[57] C. De La Paz Zavala and J.E.R. Rodríguez (2004) 'Practical applications of a process simulator of middle distillates hydrodesulfurization', Petroleum Science and Technology, 22, 61-71.
[58] M. Egorova and R. Prins (2004) 'Mutual influence of the HDS of dibenzothiophene and HDN of 2-methylpyridine', Journal of Catalysis, 221, 11-19.
[59] H. Okada, N. Nomura, T. Nakahara and K. Maruhashia (2002) 'Analyses of substrate specificity of the desulfurizing bacterium Mycobacterium sp. G3', Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, 93, 228-233.
[60] H. Okada, N. Nomura, T. Nakahara and K. Maruhashia (2002) 'Analysis of dibenzothiophene metabolic pathway in Mycobacterium strain G3', Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, 93, 491-497.
[61] G. Castorena, C. Suárez, I. Valdez, G. Amador, L. Fernández and S. Le Borgne (2002) 'Sulfur-selective desulfurization of dibenzothiophene and diesel oil by newly isolated Rhodococcus sp. strains', FEMS Microbiology Letters, 215, 157–161.
 

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics