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Triphenyl methyl phosphonium tosylate as an efficient phase transfer catalyst for ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization of liquid fuel

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Abstract

The novel phosphonium-based ionic liquid (IL), triphenyl methyl phosphonium tosylate ([TPMP][Tos]), has been synthesized and applied as a phase transfer catalyst (PTC) in the ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization (UAODS). Oxidation of model fuel (MF) containing dibenzothiophene (DBT) was carried out using an equimolar mixture of H2O2-CH3COOH as an oxidant at 40–70 °C in the presence of IL. The sulfur compound is converted into polar sulfone, and the maximum desulfurization efficiency was examined. The effect of process parameters such as reaction temperature, reaction time, molar ratio of oxidant to sulfur (n(O/S)), and the mass ratio of ionic liquid to model fuel (m(IL/MF)) was studied, and the conditions for maximizing the DBT conversion rate were found. Maximum conversion (> 99%) was obtained at a temperature of 70 °C with m(IL/MF) of 0.8. The oxidation reactivity of various sulfur compounds was studied at different time intervals. To verify the effect of ionic liquid and ultrasound irradiation, extractive desulfurization (EDS), oxidative desulfurization (ODS), and UAODS in the presence of IL were carried out. The experimental results show that the UAODS process gives the highest desulfurization efficiency. A kinetic study was performed to estimate the rate constant and the order of oxidation reaction.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article. Any other datasets used during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Office of the Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU), Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India for financial support. The authors are also grateful to the Centre for Biofuel and Bioenergy Studies (CBBS) for all the support provided for the completion of the research.

Funding

This research is financially supported by the Office of the Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU), Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

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Conception and design of study: Komal Desai, Swapnil Dharaskar

Acquisition of data: Komal Desai, Swapnil Dharaskar, Mohammad Khalid, Thummalapalli Gupta

Analysis and/or interpretation of data: Komal Desai, Swapnil Dharaskar, Mohammad Khalid

Drafting the manuscript: Komal Desai, Swapnil Dharaskar, Mohammad Khalid, Thummalapalli Gupta

Revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content: Komal Desai, Swapnil Dharaskar

Approval of the version of the manuscript to be published (the names of all authors must be listed): Komal Desai, Swapnil Dharaskar, Mohammad Khalid, Thummalapalli Gupta

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Correspondence to Swapnil Dharaskar.

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Desai, K., Dharaskar, S., Khalid, M. et al. Triphenyl methyl phosphonium tosylate as an efficient phase transfer catalyst for ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization of liquid fuel. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 26747–26761 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12391-1

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