Electrocatalytic dissociation of water for hydrodesulfurization of hydrocarbon feedstock
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsMohamed Elanany, Esam Z. Hamad
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Abstract
An electrocatalytic process to remove organic sulfur compounds from a mixture of water containing a miscible electrolyte and a hydrocarbon feedstock involving the application of a current of electricity to cause the dissociation of the water which produces hydrogen at a catalytic cathode which reduces the organic sulfur compounds in the hydrocarbon with the evolution of H2S which is separated and collected, and the separation and collection of the treated hydrocarbon.
Claims13
An electrocatalytic process for the removal of sulfur from organic sulfur compounds present in hydrocarbon feedstocks, which comprises the steps of:
- a) adding a mixture of water and a miscible electrolyte to a non-miscible hydrocarbon feedstock containing sulfur compounds to an electrochemical reactor having a cathode and an anode;
- b) applying a potential difference between the cathode and the anode which causes the water to dissociate with the production of reactive hydrogen in situ which catalyzes its reaction with the sulfur-containing compounds in the hydrocarbon at the cathode surface to produce hydrogen sulfide and a treated hydrocarbon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.