Liquid-phase adsorption of multi-ring thiophenic sulfur compounds on carbon materials with different surface properties

The effects of structural and surface properties of carbon materials on the adsorption of benzothiophene (BT), dibenzothiophene (DBT), 4-methyldibenzothiophene (4-MDBT) and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) are investigated in the presence of 10 wt % of aromatics in liquid alkanes that simulate sulfur compounds in diesel fuels. The high-adsorption capacity and selectivity for methyl DBTs show that certain activated carbons are promising adsorbents for selective adsorption for removing sulfur (SARS) as a new approach to ultra deep desulfurization of diesel fuels.