Performance and mechanism of biomass-based zeolite templated carbon with in-situ hierarchical pore growth for dibenzothiophene removal in biodiesel

The adsorption desulfurization process of waste cooking oil biodiesel faces challenges such as low efficiency and susceptibility to oxidation. Drawing inspiration from the in-situ generation of hierarchical pores during the carbonization of biomass pyrolysis products, a novel zeolite template carbon was fabricated for deep adsorption desulfurization of biodiesel by integrating biomass pyrolysis with chemical vapor deposition. Experiments, simulations, and characterizations were conducted to analyze the formation mechanism of biomass-based zeolitetemplated carbon and its desulfurization performance. The results indicated the decomposition of carbonized precursors and the collapse of the 13X zeolite crystal structure were the primary factors driving the formation of hierarchical pores Under carbonization temperature of 900 °C and a holding time of 2 h, the biomass-based zeolite template carbon achieved optimal desulfurization performance, with an adsorption desulfurization efficiency exceeding 85 % and a sulfur content reduced to 5.10 ppm. Furthermore, dibenzothiophene was effectively trapped on the adsorbent through physical adsorption, and the high desulfurization performance can be attributed primarily to the formation of hierarchical pores. This study provides a method for constructing hierarchical porous carbon materials, offering a scientific foundation and technical support for overcoming the challenges of deep adsorption desulfurization in biodiesel.