Deep Desulfurization of Transportation Fuels with Nanoreactions

Burning sulphur-laden transportation fuels results in misty and fuggy air of large cities. The combustion products of sulphur-laden fuels poison the exhaust conversion catalyst and invalidate the catalyst box. As results, the vehicle emission gets worse and worse no matter how advanced the auto technology is. Some sulphur compounds converted to sulphates after combustion and emitted into the atmosphere in the form of superfine particles. Suspension of these superfine particles and the inefficiently converted hydrocarbons yield misty and foggy atmosphere. Stringent regulations on the sulphur content of transportation fuels have been issued in developed countries, but not yet in developing countries. Nonetheless, deep desulfurization of transportation fuels has drawn the global research attention. Thiophene and its derivatives are the sulphur species most difficult to remove, and research on deep desulfurization is targeting at the removal of this kind of sulphur compounds.