Enhanced adsorption desulfurization performance of Cu+-exchanged UiO-66(Zr) with hierarchical porous structure

Adsorption desulfurization can effectively remove thiophene-containing compounds in fuels. UiO-66 is a potential candidate for adsorption desulfurization due to the excellent chemical stability and resistances to acids and alkali. However, the adsorption capacity is relatively low for the big molecules of sulfide (such as thiophenes) because of the pore size in the microporous structure. We used Zn 4 O(BC) 6 as a template to synthesize a new π-complexation adsorbent (H-UiO-66-SO 3 Cu(I)) via ion-exchange and steam-induced reduction, with hierarchical porous (microporous and mesoporous) structure. The adsorbent was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. The results show that H-UiO-66-SO 3 Cu(I) has the stable structural properties with the new mesopores. H-UiO-66-SO 3 Cu(I) has a good adsorption performance for thiophene and benzothiophene in the model fuel. The regeneration results show that H-UiO-66-SO 3 Cu(I) can be recycled four times and still has good adsorption performance. UiO-66(Cu + ) π-complexation adsorbent with hierarchical pores for thiophenic compounds. • The precursor(H-UiO-66-SO 3 H) with hierarchical pores structure was synthesized using the template. • H-UiO-66-SO 3 Cu(II) was prepared by ion exchange of Cu 2+ with the hydrogen atoms of the functional group -SO 3 H. • The adsorbents containing Cu + were obtained by using ethanol vapor-induced selective reduction. • H-UiO-66-SO 3 Cu(I) with hierarchical pores structure has a high adsorption capacity for thiophenic compounds via π-complexation.