The Ni/ZnO desulfurization catalyst has been highly valued for its high desulfurization rate and low octane value loss. However, during the process of desulfurization, ZnO is prone to deactivation and the active component Ni is susceptible to agglomeration, which can affect the performance of the catalyst. In order to solve these problems, the modification of ZnO support has been extensively studied. The granular, short rod-shaped and nanowire-structured ZnO were synthesized by controlling the concentration of NaOH, and the desulfurization catalyst was prepared with ZnO serving as the support after loading of metallic Ni. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, SEM, TEM and other analytical methods. The desulfurization performance of the catalyst was investigated with n-heptane - thiophene used as model compounds. Test results showed that the morphology and size of ZnO support has great influence on the desulfurization performance of the catalyst. Desulfurization catalyst prepared with nanowire-structured ZnO support has the best desulfurization performance, with its desulfurization rate reaching 98.2%. The result was achieved mainly due to the nanowire structure of ZnO support which could effectively restrain the agglomeration of metallic Ni on the surface and reduce the particle size of the active component of metallic Ni so as to improve its dispersion on the surface of the support. In addition, the nanowire structure can reduce the diffusion resistance of thiophene in the reaction process and provide a channel conducive to sulfur transfer and diffusion, which makes it perform well in the desulphurization reaction process and regeneration process.
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