Catalytic Activity of MnWO4@g-C3N4 and CuWO4@g-C3N4 Nano-Composites for Green Fuel Production

Abstract

The present study successfully synthesized MnWO₄@g-C₃N₄ and CuWO₄@g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites which demonstrated high efficiency and recoverability as a robust catalyst for ODS of model (DBT) and real fuel oil (kerosene and diesel). The manufactured composites were thoroughly characterized using XRD, TGA, FTIR, SEM and EDX confirming its physicochemical properties. The SEM results revealed that MnWO₄ and CuWO₄ nanoparticles were well organized on the exterior of g-C₃N₄ forming interesting spherical particle morphology. Under optimized conditions, the nanocomposites MnWO₄@g-C₃N₄ and CuWO₄@g-C₃N₄ exhibited an impressive 98 and 98.5% removal of DBT, respectively from the model fuel (100 mg/L) within 180 min at a temperature of 45 °C using 1 mL of oxidant and 0.1 g of catalyst amount. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of composites was investigated for real fuel desulfurization and promising results were achieved. Moreover, the fuel properties were in accordance with ASTM specifications. The study found that the desulfurization reaction followed the pseudo 1st order kinetic models and the negative ∆G indicated a spontaneous method. The nanocomposites exhibited promising reusability as it could be used up to five times without significantly reducing their ability to desulfurize fuel oil. The study highlights its potential for practical applications in reducing sulfur content in fuel oils contributing to cleaner and environment friendly energy production and utilization.

Graphical Abstract