SBIR Phase I: Hydrodesulfurization Catalysts for the Production of Ultra-Clean Transportation Fuels

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate new materials for use in industrial hydrodesulfurization (HDS) processing. This project will focus on transition metal phosphide catalysts, a novel class of compounds recently discovered to be highly active towards HDS, and the effect of the support material on their chemical and catalytic properties. The support materials that we will investigate for this project are mixed oxides consisting of silica, zirconia, or titania. The primary objectives of Phase I research are: o Determine the nature of the interaction between the active phase and the mixed oxide supports. o Determine how the support chemistry and microstructure affect the catalytic activity and stability of a transition metal phosphide catalyst. Commercial opportunities exist for new HDS catalysts capable of producing ultra-clean transportation fuels. The environmental regulations being implemented world-wide to reduce the impact of pollutants such as SO2, responsible for acid rain, from car exhaust, along with the declining quality of fossil fuel feedstocks, will provide substantial motivation for the refineries to seek alternative catalyst materials.