Nitrogen-containing compounds (NCCs) in high-temperature
coal tar
have a negative impact on its utilization. This work aimed to prepare
a series of CexY adsorbents with superior
capacity and selectivity by ion exchange, and further clarify the
regeneration properties and adsorption mechanism. The adsorptive denitrogenation
properties were evaluated at different temperatures using batch adsorption
experiments in different model fuels. The implication of Ce loading
on the adsorption properties has been studied. The results show that
Ce0.2Y exhibits a remarkable performance in adsorption
capacity. Ce0.2Y can reach 25.32 mg·N·g–1 absorption for quinoline and 23.78 mg·N·g–1 absorption for indole at 30 °C, which is much better than that
of NaY. The effect of naphthalene on the adsorption of NCCs indicated
that Ce0.2Y is much resistant to the influence of naphthalene.
Furthermore, the regenerated adsorbents still retained better adsorption
properties than NaY after five cycles. The adsorption mechanism for
NCCs and naphthalene on Ce0.2Y was revealed by the IR spectra.
By contrast, the interaction between Ce0.2Y and NCCs is
stronger than the interaction between Ce0.2Y and naphthalene.
The Ce0.2Y adsorbent preferentially adsorbed NCCs, which
can be attributed to the introduction of Ce4+