Composite Beads of Molybdenum Oxide Supported on Textured Silicon as an Oxidative Desulfurization Nanocatalyst

In the present work, Silicon powder was etched in the alkaline solution. The surface area of silicon powder increased after etching. Then, a nanocatalyst of molybdenum supported on textured silicon powder was successfully prepared. The nanocatalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and N(2)adsorption-desorption. Molybdenum particles were dispersed on the entire surface of textured silicon beads. The spherical granules of this nanocatalyst were prepared by polyvinyl alcohol. The experimental results showed that the high oxidative desulfurization efficiency of dibenzothiophene were achieved ~93.7% using MoO3/Si/PVA/H(2)O(2)within 150 min and at 60 degrees C. The oxidation rate was fitted to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The beads could be easily separated from the reaction solution and reused for 5 times. The remarkable advantages of this approach is a green, low- cost, reusable and effective method for oxidative desulfurization.