Volume 23, Issue 60, July - December, 2026

Synergistic (Fe₂O₃ + NiO)/Alumina Catalyst for Hydrogen Peroxide- Based Oxidative Desulfurization of Petroleum Fuel under Ultrasonic Irradiation: Kinetic and Catalytic Study

Mohammed K Salih, Ghassan Hassan AbdulRazzaq, Jasim I Humadi^♦

Petroleum and Gas Refining Engineering Department, College of Petroleum Processes Engineering, Tikrit University, Tikrit 34001, Iraq

^♦Corresponding Author
Jasim I. Humadi, Petroleum and Gas Refining Engineering Department, College of Petroleum Processes Engineering, Tikrit University, Tikrit 34001, Iraq

ABSTRACT

To achieve a clean, pollution-free environment, given the health and environmental hazards of sulfur, it is essential to identify effective methods for reducing its concentration to the lowest internationally permissible levels. Many methods have emerged to achieve this, but they have numerous drawbacks, whether financial, economic, or hazardous. From this perspective, oxidative desulfurization (ODS) technology has emerged, operating under moderate and less hazardous conditions. Therefore, it has become necessary to develop suitable catalysts for this technology to effectively remove sulfur compounds from fuels. This research paper discusses the preparation of a catalyst from (Fe₂O₃ + NiO)/ γ- Al₂O₃. The following tests were performed: Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to validate the catalyst preparation. The efficiency of the catalyst prepared in an ultrasonic reactor was also evaluated in the oxidative desulfurization (ODS) process for removing sulfur compounds from diesel fuel in the presence of an oxidizing agent. Using different temperatures (25-75°C) and different reaction times (30_60) minutes for diesel, with sonication intensities (80%-90%-100%), the best sulfur compound removal rate from diesel after extraction by ethanol reached 91%. Under optimal conditions, the temperature was 75°C, the reaction time was up to 60 minutes, and the sonication intensity was 100%. The reaction order and activation energy were also evaluated, showing that it tends towards pseudo-first-order and has an activation energy of 18 kJ/mol.

Keywords: Oxidative desulfurization (ODS), diesel fuel, catalyst preparation, bimetallic catalyst, ultrasonic reactor, sulfur removal.

Indian Journal of Engineering, 2026, 23(60), e11ije1728

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Published: 05 September 2026