Desulfurization of Liquid Fuels. Industrial Productivity and Environmental Health in Petroleum Refining

Book excerpt: Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2017 in the subject Engineering - Chemical Engineering, grade: A, , course: Directed Studies, language: English, abstract: This study focuses on the removal of sulfur compounds from liquid fuels specifically gasoline and diesel fuels. The paper centers on the urgency and effect of environmental regulations due to health and global warming concerns on the emerging methods of achieving ultralow sulfur fuels (ULSF). The traditional hydrodesulphurization process is reviewed and its limitations to achieving ULSF is highlighted. The effect and challenge in achieving ULSF such as change in octane and cetane numbers and the reduced quality of the fuels were also foregrounded. Alternative methods for improved desulfurization process including Biodesulfurization and adsorption desulfurization were examined. Current works by researchers on the methods and processes of achieving ULSF were also investigated. Desulfurization is the process or processes used to remove or reduce the sulfur content of natural gas and other refined petroleum products such as diesel and gasoline. Sulfur is a non-metallic chemical element which is yellow in color and solid at room temperature. It is abundant in nature and is usually found in elemental form and also occurs as a sulfide or sulfate mineral. Sulfur can be used for many productive processes such in the manufacture of fertilizers and insecticides and it is an essential element for all living organism. Despite its usefulness, sulfur when exposed in a certain form to the environment can lead to environmental, material and health damage. One of the major sources of sulfur today is the petroleum industry where sulfur occurs as thiols, thiophenes, organic sulfides and disulfides. They occur in several refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, coal, and fuel oils. They constitute as contaminants and therefore are undesirable constituents in the oil and gas industry. In the petroleum industry sulfur is a process contaminant as it deactivates some catalyst during the refining process and causes the corrosion of pumping, pipeline, and refining equipment. Sulfur compounds left in fuels also lead to massive emissions of sulfur gases which not only have environmental impacts but health and material effects as well. When sulfur gases are emitted, they react with water in the atmosphere to form sulfuric acid and sulfates which turns to acid rain. Acid rain and sulfates cause damage to buildings, automotive painting, they acidify the soil which leads to deforestation and eventually damage to some ecosystem.