Metal-free extractive oxidative desulfurization of fuel using boron carbide/graphene oxide nanocomposite: Optimization and mechanism study

In this research, exfoliated boron carbide (B 4 C) was placed on graphene oxide (GO), and the performance of the B 4 C/GO in the system of extractive oxidative desulfurization (EODS) was investigated. The exfoliation process was carried out using a planetary ball mill strategy. Structural characteristics of the composite catalysts synthesized using AFM, FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm techniques were studied. Among different milling times (1, 3, and 5 hours), the best catalytic activity for B 4 C was obtained with a milling time of 5 hours (B 4 C-5). Among the catalysts with different amounts of B 4 C-5 (10, 20, 30, 40 wt%) on GO, the catalyst with 30 wt% B 4 C-5 showed the best performance in the EODS process. An analysis of the impact of key parameters on the EODS process, including temperature, reaction time, molar ratio of oxidant to sulfur (O/S), and catalyst dosage, was conducted using the Box-Behnken Design (BBD). Dibenzothiophene) DBT (was completely removed from the model fuel within 26 minutes at a temperature of 47°C using 0.09 g of catalyst (30 wt%) B 4 C-5/GO, an O/S ratio of 7, a ratio of extraction solvent to fuel of 1/3, a fuel volume of 60 mL, an initial sulfur content of 650 ppm, and a mixer speed of 2000 rpm. This work introduces a non-metallic B 4 C/GO composite as an efficient EODS catalyst, providing a greener and cost-effective alternative to the conventional metal-based systems while achieving complete DBT removal under mild conditions.