Iranian researchers succeed in removing aromatics from gasoline

Iranian researchers from Isfahan University in association with researchers from Acadia University in Canada have succeeded in removing aromatic compounds from fuels. They presented an effective, simple and helpful method to desulfurize and eliminate aromatic compounds based on magnetic adsorbent on the surface of mesoporous carbon, a Fars news agency report said Sunday. The elimination and separation of cyclic aromatic compounds from fuels such as gasoline and gasoil were carried out by using the usual and industrial hydrodesulfurization (HDS) method, which required hard temperature and pressure conditions, the use of hydrogen gas, consuming much cost, and numerous equipment. The aim of this research was to separate one of the most difficult sulfuric compounds named dibenzotiophene in mild conditions of temperature and pressure without needing the hazardous hydrogen gas by using nanostructured materials. PhD undergraduate in Analytical Chemistry from Isfahan University, Dr. Najmeh Farzinnejad, elaborating on the research said, “When nanostructures are used, the ratio of surface to volume increases. Nanoadsorbents carry out the separation better when they are dispersed in the liquid system. “The only problem with nanostructured adsorbents is the separation of the adsorbent itself from the solution, which requires centrifugal and strong adsorbing systems because it has been dispersed in the liquid. “In order to benefit from the nanometric properties of the adsorbent and its simple separation, it was decided that a magnetic adsorbent with appropriate hole to adsorb dibenzothiophene is made. “This plan solves the problem with the separation of the adsorbent from the solution because it can be separated easily within a few seconds by using a small magnet.” The plan has direct application in petroleum industries and indirect application in automobile manufacturing and environmental industries. The removal of these materials specifically from diesel fuels such as gasoil leads to the production of fuel with less amount of sulfur that decreases environmental pollution, Fars report said.