Continuous Flow Desulfurization of a Model Fuel Catalysed by Titanium Functionalized UiO-66

The porous material UiO-66 is one of the most stable MOFs, retaining its properties under a relatively wide range of chemical and physical conditions, making it attractive for post-synthetic modifications and catalytic applications. A Titanium functionalization of UiO-66 has been carried out and the synthesized material has been efficiently used as catalyst in the continuous oxidative desulfurization of a model fuel with aqueous H2O2. Using dibenzothiophene as sulfur source, only a partial desulfurization has been achieved, nevertheless the functionalized MOF showed better performances compared to the standard UiO-66. The titanium containing MOF allowed to completely removing thioanisole from the oil phase within only eight minutes. The pore sizes of UiO-66 are playing an important role in allowing a fast oxidation of the thioanisole compared to dibenzothiophene.