Natural gasoline is an important blend stock for on-road gasoline. However, its sulfurcontent is typically above the mandated limit for on-road gasoline (30 ppm S) which limits theextent to which natural gasoline can be blended. SulphCo? has developed a simple, costeffective,scalable and environmentally benign process to desulfurize natural gasoline, using anultrasound-assisted oxidative approach. Sulfidic species in natural gasoline are oxidized in acontinuous process using hydrogen peroxide, a homogenous catalyst and exposure to a highpowerultrasound probe that creates an intense cavitation field in the process fluid. The resultingoxidized sulfur species, such as sulfones, sulfoxides, and sulfonic acids, are water-soluble and areremoved with a simple water-wash step. Three natural gasolines from different sources, rangingfrom 52 ppm to 379 ppm S, were desulfurized to levels below 30 ppm S. Total process operatingexpenses to achieve these reductions were significantly below those of competing technologies.
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