Pechini Sol-Gel Synthesis and Characterization of NiWO4/W5O14/WO3 Nanocomposite for Photocatalytic Desulfurization of Thiophene
Mehdi Mousavi-Kamazani
1
(
Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
)
Mahvash Siahmansouri
2
(
Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
)
Mohammad Ghodrati
3
(
Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan 35131-19111, Iran
)
Keywords: Photocatalyst, Desulfurization, Pechini sol-gel, NiWO4/W5O14/WO3, Composite nanostructure,
Abstract :
One of the most important problems in the oil industry is the presence of sulfur and sulfur compounds in crude oil. Sulfur compounds in crude oil can have detrimental effects on the environment, equipment, catalysts, and end products. One of the most important goals of researchers in recent years is to sweeten petroleum products from these compounds. This study aims to use NiWO4/W5O14/WO3 composite nanostructure to solve this problem using the photocatalytic oxidative desulfurization method. This composite nanostructure has been synthesized by Pechini sol-gel method with high purity at low temperature and examined by XRD, EDS, FESEM, and FT-IR analysis. Due to the presence of WO3 in the composition, the bandgap was greatly reduced and the efficiency was increased. As a result, the nanostructure could degrade more than 73% of the sulfur in thiophene in 180 min under visible light. By optimizing the amount of photocatalyst and irradiation time, the efficiency can be improved.