油品的深度除硫越來越受到全球各國的重視，以美國為例，美國環保署規定到2006年以前柴油的含硫量必須從500 ppmw降至15 ppmw。倘若能將柴油中的硫深度去除就代表能將目前市場上的燃料油推上燃料電池的應用面，且柴油相對於其他燃料油便宜，若能成功除硫將可提升燃料油產氫的市場競爭力；所以如何將柴油中所含的硫在蒸氣重組反應之前或之後去除，達到燃料電池不受硫毒化的含量以下，是如今燃料油產氫技術中最為關鍵的研究課題，本研究將著重於油品之脫硫研究。
我們的構想是以沸石及鐵氧化物做為吸附材，再利用可與硫化物形成π-complexation的過渡金屬對其進行改質，而改質後的沸石與鐵氧化物再對硫化物進行吸附實驗。在常溫常壓下進行單成分硫化物(4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene, 4,6-DMDBT)的吸附實驗部份，研究結果顯示以AgY改質過的沸石處理效果最好，在處理後濃度低於0.1 ppmS的目標下，每克吸附材可處理500 ml含30 ppm 4,6-DMDBT的油品；另外，我們發現代號BL的鐵氧化物於氮氣下以300℃鍛燒後(代號BL-300-N)吸附效果最好，優於市售鐵氧化物(FeOOH-300-N)約4倍之多，顯示了BL吸附材的獨特性。在連續式吸附實驗部份，活性碳(AC)及鐵氧化物對4,6-DMDBT的處理效果依次如下：AC > BL-300-N。

Deep desulfurization of transportation fuels is receiving increasing attention in the research community worldwide. For example, US Environmental Protection Agency has issued regulations that will require the refineries to reduce the sulfur content of highway diesel fuel from a current limit of 500 to 15 ppmw by 2006.
The idea of our approach is to utilize the zeolites which are modified by some transition metals with π-complexation function as the sorbents for removing the refractory sulfur compounds. Considering the modification of sorbent by exchanging transition metal ions zeolites, we found (by EDS) that about half of sodium ions in zeolite were replaced by metal ions, especially silver ions. Desulfurization of single sulfur compound (4,6-DMDBT) by the modified zeolites was operated at ambient temperature and pressure in a batch test. The results showed that AgY was capable of treating at least 500 ml of 30 ppmw 4,6-DMDBT to below 0.1 ppmS. In the part of iron oxide, we found that after calcining at 300℃ for 24 hours in nitrogen, BL-300-N obtained the best removal efficiency among all modified BL type iron oxides. It has about 4 times adsorption capacity better than that by commercial FeOOH-300-N iron oxide. In the fixed bed continuous experiments, we found that the adsorption capacity of active carbon and iron oxide follows the order AC > BL-300-N. According to the results shown above, we could reach to the best sulfur removal efficiency by using fixed bed continuous process.

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