Deep Desulfurization by Amphiphilic Lanthanide‐Containing Polyoxometalates in Ionic‐Liquid Emulsion Systems under Mild Conditions

Amphiphilic lanthanide‐containing polyoxometalates (POMs) were prepared by surfactant encapsulation. Investigation of these lanthanide‐containing POMs in oxidative desulfurization (ODS) showed that highly efficient deep desulfurization could be achieved in only 14 min with 100 % conversion of dibenzothiophene under mild conditions by using (DDA)₉LaW₁₀/omim]PF₆ (DDA=dimethyldioctadecylammonium, omim=1‐octyl‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium) in the presence of H₂O₂. Furthermore, deep desulfurization proceeds smoothly in model oil with an S content as low as 50 ppm. A scaled‐up experiment in which the volume of model oil was increased from 5 to 1000 mL with S content of 1000 ppm indicated that about 99 % sulfur removal can be achieved in 40 mins in an ionic‐liquid emulsion system. To the best of our knowledge, the (DDA)₉LaW₁₀/omim]PF₆ catalyst system with H₂O₂ as oxidant is one of the most efficient desulfurization systems reported so far.