Sulfur levels

Until 1992, the maximum sulfur level, identical for diesel fuel and homeheating oil, was 0.3% for all of Europe. Nevertheless, certain countries had... 

However, such a level can still be considered too high for vehicles having 3-way catalytic converters. In fact, results observed in the United States (Benson et al., 1991) and given in Figure 5.20 show that exhaust pollutant emissions, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, increase from 10 to 15% when the sulfur level passes from 50 ppm to about 450 ppm. This is explained by an inhibiting action of sulfur on the catalyst though... 

These developments will reduce the total emissions of SO2 but the effect will remain limited. The reduction in sulfur levels in diesel fuel from 0.2 to 0.05% Is admitted to reduce yearly emissions of SO2 in France to only 10 to 12%. 

Finally, sulfur has a negative effect on the performance of the catalyst itself. One sees for example in Figure 5.23 that the initiation temperature increases with the sulfur level in the diesel fuel, even between 0.01% and 0.05%. Yet, in the diesel engine, characterized by relatively low exhaust temperatures, the operation of the catalyst is a determining factor. One can thus predict an ultimate diesel fuel desulfurization to levels lower than 0.05%. 

Note that the total sulfur levels are different from those appearing in Table 8.6 as a result of having different distillation ranges. 

Benson, J.D. et al. (1991), Effects of gasoline sulfur level on mass exhaust emissions . SAE paper No. 91-2323, International fuels and lubricants meeting, Toronto, Ontario. 

Properties. Pilot-unit data indicate the EDS process may accommodate a wide variety of coal types. Overall process yields from bituminous, subbituminous, and lignite coals, which include Hquids from both Hquefaction and Flexicoking, are shown in Figure 14. The Hquids produced have higher nitrogen contents than are found in similar petroleum fractions. Sulfur contents reflect the sulfur levels of the starting coals ca 4.0 wt % sulfur in the dry bituminous coal 0.5 wt % in the subbituminous and 1.2 wt % sulfur in the dry lignite. 

Properties of the tar oil products are given in Table 14. The oils change only slightly with change in the retorting temperature sulfur levels are low. The fraction boiling up to 230°C contains 65 wt % of phenols, cresols, and cresyUc acids. 

The gangue content of DRI is typically comprised of oxides such as Si02, AI2O2, CaO, MgO, Ti02, K2O, Na20, MnO, etc, and is dictated by the chemistry of the iron ore used. The phosphoms in DRI is normally in the form of P2 5- Sulfur content in the DRI depends on the sulfur level in the ore and reductant, and the amount of sulfur released or absorbed by the DRI during the reduction process. 

Tetrahydronaphthalene is produced by the catalytic treatment of naphthalene with hydrogen. Various processes have been used, eg, vapor-phase reactions at 101.3 kPa (1 atm) as well as higher pressure Hquid-phase hydrogenation where the conditions are dependent upon the particular catalyst used. Nickel or modified nickel catalysts generally are used commercially however, they are sensitive to sulfur, and only naphthalene that has very low sulfur levels can be used. Thus many naphthalene producers purify their product to remove the thionaphthene, which is the principal sulfur compound present. Sodium treatment and catalytic hydrodesulfuri2ation processes have been used for the removal of sulfur from naphthalene the latter treatment is preferred because of the ha2ardous nature of sodium treatment. 

The heterocychcs are significant contributors to the VGO fraction. Assuming an average molecular weight of 320 for the VGO, sulfur levels of... 

The sulfur then reacts to form the polysulfide according to equation 12. The key is the use of a catalyst to promote the formation of elemental sulfur. Commercial systems are based on the use of air with an activated carbon catalyst (41). The need for additional sulfur is eliminated, but the sulfur level is... 

Insoluble Sulfur. In natural mbber compounds, insoluble sulfur is used for adhesion to brass-coated wire, a necessary component in steel-belted radial tires. The adhesion of mbber to the brass-plated steel cord during vulcanization improves with high sulfur levels ( 3.5%). Ordinary rhombic sulfur blooms at this dose level. Crystals of sulfur on the surface to be bonded destroy building tack and lead to premature failure of the tire. Rubber mixtures containing insoluble sulfur must be kept cool (<100°C) or the amorphous polymeric form converts to rhombic crystals. 

In the second phase, performed at a maximum temperature of about 370°C, the sulfur and a portion of the coke are removed by combustion. The rate and exothermicity are controlled by limiting the flow of combustion gas through the catalyst. Spent base metal catalysts may have sulfur levels of from 6 to 12 wt % in the form of metal sulfides. A high degree of sulfur removal must be achieved in these first two regeneration steps to avoid the formation of sulfate on the support during the final combustion step. Such a formation causes a loss of catalyst activity. 

Corrosion. The primary coal properties affecting corrosion are sulfur and chlorine levels. The range of sulfur levels in Table 2 shows a low of 0.3% for SUFCo and a high of 5.2% for petroleum coke. R F coal has 4.2% sulfur. The highest chlorine level in this group of coals is 0.41% for Pyro No. 9 coal. 

The precious-metal platinum catalysts were primarily developed in the 1960s for operation at temperatures between about 200 and 300°C (1,38,44). However, because of sensitivity to poisons, these catalysts are unsuitable for many combustion apphcations. Variations in sulfur levels of as Httle as 0.4 ppm can shift the catalyst required temperature window completely out of a system s operating temperature range (44). Additionally, operation withHquid fuels is further compHcated by the potential for deposition of ammonium sulfate salts within the pores of the catalyst (44). These low temperature catalysts exhibit NO conversion that rises with increasing temperature, then rapidly drops off, as oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen oxides begins to dominate the reaction (see Fig. 7). 

Hydrofining is applied to virgin naphthas mainly in the form of a pretreatment step for the feed to catalytic reformers (Powerforming). Sulfur levels of 5 parts per million (ppm) or less are required to avoid deactivation of the platinum reforming catalyst. 

Since the majority of middle distillates are used as a fuel, combustion of these products will contribute to SO2/SO3 air pollution and acid rain. However, in catalytic processes of petroleum fractions Sulfur levels are also important. Lor instance, quantities... 

Although desulfurization is a process, which has been in use in the oil industry for many years, renewed research has recently been started, aimed at improving the efficiency of the process. Envii onmental pressure and legislation to further reduce Sulfur levels in the various fuels has forced process development to place an increased emphasis on hydrodesulfurization (HDS). For a clear comprehension of the process kinetics involved in HDS, a detailed analyses of all the organosulfur compounds clarifying the desulfurization chemistry is a prerequisite. The reactivities of the Sulfur-containing structures present in middle distillates decrease sharply in the sequence thiols sulfides thiophenes benzothiophenes dibenzothio-phenes (32). However, in addition, within the various families the reactivities of the Substituted species are different. 

Diesel fuel makeup can represent various combinations of volatility, ignition quality, viscosity, sulfur level, specific gravity, and other characteristics. Various additives are used to impart special properties... 

Products from hydrodesulfurization of feeds with different sulfur levels ... 

Sulfur level varies with crude source and residue content. 

For nonhydrotreated feed, the gasoline sulfur level is about 10% of the feed sulfur level. For hydrotreated feed, it is about 5%. For example, if the sulfur content of a nonhydrotreated feed is 1.0 r (10,000 ppm), the sulfur in FCC gasoline will be 1,000 ppm. Assuming 80% desulfurization, feed to the FCC unit will contain 0.2% (2000 ppm) sulfur, resulting in FCC gasoline containing 100 ppm sulfur. Sulfur compounds that survive the hydrotreater are in the heav fraction and tend to end up in the LCO, decanted oil, and coke. 

The demand for environment-friendly fuels requires the removal of organosulfur compounds present in crade-oil fractions. SO2 or SO3 contribute to the formation of acid rain and have an effect on pollution control devices [9]. Very stringent environmental regulations will limit the sulfur levels in diesel fuels in EU to less than 10 ppm by the end of 2010 [10]. The conventional sulfur-compound... 

Desulfurization processes are absolutely necessary for producing clean fuels. Possible strategies to realize ultradeep suffiirization currently include adsorption, extraction, oxidation, and bioprocesses. Oxidative desulfurization (ODS) combined with extraction is considered one of the most promising of these processes [13]. Ultradeep desulfurization of diesel by selective oxidation with amphiphilic catalyst assembled in emulsion droplets has given results where the sulfur level of desulfurized diesel can be lowered from 500 ppm to about 0.1 ppm without changing the properties of the diesel [12]. 

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