Effect of the support calcination temperature on selective hydrodesulfurization of TiO2 nanotubes supported CoMo catalysts

TiO₂ nanotubes (TiO₂-NTs) were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. Co and Mo active components were supported on a series of the as-prepared TiO₂-NTs samples which were calcined at different temperatures. The effects of support calcination temperature of CoMo/TiO₂-NTs catalysts on their catalytic performance were investigated for selective hydrodesulfurization (HDS). The samples were characterized by means of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N₂ adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and H₂ temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR). The experimental results revealed that TiO₂-NTs support calcined under 500 °C can maintain the nanotubular structure with higher surface area and pore volume. Meanwhile, the obtained supported CoMo/TiO₂-NTs catalysts exhibited weak metal-support interaction, more octahedral Mo⁶⁺ species and high catalytic performance in selective HDS.