MSc Students
1- EFFECT OF CATALYST SUPPORT ON HYDRODESULPHURIZATION OF SHALE OIL
By
Worood Majed A. Almajali
Supervisor
Dr. Zayed Al-Hamamre, Prof
Co-Supervisor
Dr. Reyad A. Shawabkeh, Prof
Abstract
Jordanian oil shale is a promising unconventional resource due to its substantial reserves; however, its high sulfur content poses environmental and processing challenges. This study investigated the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of shale oil using NiMo-based catalysts supported on composites prepared via the sol–gel method. Both model sulfur compounds and real shale oil were evaluated under high-pressure CSTR reactor conditions.
Characterization of the catalysts using BET, FTIR, SEM/EDS, and XRD revealed that bimetallic catalysts on alumina-rich supports exhibited high surface area, optimal pore structure, strong metal–support interactions, and uniform dispersion of active metals. XRD patterns confirmed the amorphous nature of the supports and the absence of crystalline phases, indicating high dispersion of Ni and Mo.Hydrodesulfurization tests showed that thiophene was reduced from 0.9 wt% to 0.81 wt%, indicating moderate desulfurization due to the molecule's simple structure and effective metal dispersion on an alumina-rich support. For 2-octylthiophene, the bulkier molecule, the catalyst achieved a residual sulfur content of 3.3 wt% from an initial 17.4 wt%, demonstrating that higher Mo content enhances accessibility and HDS activity for longer alkyl chains. In the case of 2-decylthiophene, the catalyst reduced sulfur from 21.5 wt% to 2.76 wt%, highlighting the importance of optimized Ni loading and alumina-rich support in promoting C–S bond cleavage. Finally, for the sterically hindered 2,3,4-trimethylthiophene, the catalyst lowered sulfur from 10.2 wt% to 1.98 wt%, confirming that strong metal–support interactions and good dispersion are critical for effective desulfurization.
These results collectively indicate that alumina-rich supports consistently outperform silica-rich supports across all tested compounds, and that the ratio should be tailored to the structure of the sulfur compound. Overall, the optimized catalyst demonstrated excellent HDS performance, achieving deep sulfur removal while maintaining structural stability and high surface accessibility, proving its potential for upgrading high-sulfur Jordanian shale oil.
2- Adsorption of CO2 using fixed bed Adsorber
Tamara Tawfiq Raji Nwaisr
Dr. Naim M.Faqir
Co-supervisor
Dr. Reyad Shawabkeh
To recycle carbon dioxide emitted from mobile sources, which contain a mixture of gases such as nitrogen oxides, an isothermal and kinetic study is performed under different operating conditions. Commercial activated carbon (AC) was selected and impregnated with sodium hydroxide, and both carbons were characterized for their surface area, morphology, and functional groups. BET surface area analysis illustrates an average surface area of ca. 1000 m2/g with micropore size distribution and average pore radius of 1.5 nm. SEM analysis showed agglomerated particles with sub-micrometer sizes. Surface acidity of the impregnated AC increased pHzpc relative to the raw AC. Both carbons showed several functional groups, with an increase in hydroxyl groups during impregnation.
Three set-up apparatuses were built to measure the isotherm, kinetic, and breakthrough curves. The adsorption isotherm apparatus was based on volumetric analysis of gas, whereas the kinetic one measures the rate of change of both AC bed pressure and temperature at different column lengths.
Both carbons were tested for their saturation capacity with pure CO2, Pure N2O, and a 10% CO2/90% N2O mixture. Impregnated carbon showed higher adsorption capacities for all gases, with percentage increases of 45% for CO2, 27% for N2O, and 150% for the CO2/N2O mixture. Breakthrough curve analysis for both gases, using AC and impregnated AC, showed that more time is required to reach saturation capacity with impregnated AC. The adsorption kinetics showed that increasing the inlet gas pressure led to greater diffusion resistance throughout the bed. This is more noticeable as the carbon particle size decreases. The process of CO2/N2O adsorption is exothermic due to the reaction of CO2 on the NaOH-AC surface.
Adsorption kinetics for both carbons showed that rate parameters such as initial pressure, temperature, and bed size affect the rate of CO2/N2O uptake. Increasing the initial pressure and the carbon particle size increases the diffusion resistance. An increase in bed temperature results from the exothermic interaction between the gas and the solid surface.
A kinetic model that couples the momentum, heat, and mass-transfer equations in the axial direction under unsteady-state conditions is developed and validated against published work. It is recommended to study the adsorption of carbon dioxide on different adsorbents, such as zeolites and aluminosilicates, to recover and purify this gas from mobile phases.