High-value utilization of H2-containing gas in low-rank oil catalytic hydroupgrading

Simulated H₂-rich reactant gases containing one or more impurity gases, (CO, CO₂, and CH₄) were used as the hydrogen source to investigate the performance of Ni-Mo/TiO₂-Al₂O₃ catalyst for the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of shale oil. The simulated gas (45% H₂, 20% CO, 20% CO₂, and 15% CH₄) was on-line synthesized under the optimal conditions of a reaction temperature of 380 °C, a pressure of 4.0 MPa, a gas/oil (v/v) ratio of 600: 1, and an LHSV of 4.0 h⁻¹. The sulfur content in the upgraded shale oil reached a steady-state value of about 4300 ppm, which met the requirement of national standard marine fuel oil (GB17411–2015, China) that requires <0.5 wt% in sulfur content. Meanwhile, the outlet gas showed a higher heating value than the inlet gas, which had almost no effect on its use as a fuel gas. This work provides a novel idea for the high-value utilization of H₂-rich industrial vents and a fresh approach for reducing the costs of hydrogen supply during low-rank oil upgrading.