Electrochemical oxidative desulfurization for high sulfur content crude gas-oil

Presence of sulfur components in liquid fuels should be controlled due to environmental issues and process considerations. In order to decrease the level of sulfurous compounds in crude gas-oil with 5750 ppmw sulfur, electrochemical oxidative desulfurization has been investigated over electrodes of copper and stainless steel because of their easy operation and mild process conditions. In this research, the effects of stirring rate, temperature, applied potential, sodium hydroxide addition as electrolyte media and water volume have been examined on the sulfur removal efficiency. The results show that electrical conductivity of gas-oil sharply increases with addition of electrolyte up to 613 mu s/cm. The results also indicate that the increase in applied potential, temperature, water volume, sodium hydroxide content leads to enhancement of desulfurization efficiency. The response surface methodology has been applied to carry out single and multi-objective optimizations.