Preparation of Cu-BDC Composite Activated Carbon Materials for Efficient Removal of Sulfur Compounds

In this study, a composite material denoted as Cu-BDC@AC with small particle size was synthesized by incorporating Cu-BDC with activated carbon (AC). This integration resulted in an increased specific surface area and enhanced adsorptive desulfurization performance. The maximum static sulfur capacity for n-propanethiol (nP) in styrene system was 50.7 mg S/g, while the desulfurization rate for pyrolysis gasoline was approximately 50%. The Cu-BDC@AC material was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and spectroscopy (XRD, FTIR and XPS) analyses. The adsorption process follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic, and is a chemisorption process. The adsorption behavior of nP on Cu-BDC further analyzed using an internal diffusion model. A possible mechanism for the adsorption of nP on Cu-BDC@AC is proposed: the formation of ligand bonds between Cu and S as the main role of chemisorption. This work offers a promising strategy for the removal of small-molecular sulfur compounds from unsaturated oils.