CHAPTER 5: Activation of Gold on Metal Carbides and the Discovery of Novel Catalysts for DeSOx and HDS Reactions

In this chapter, we review a series of studies which have recently appeared in the literature investigating desulfurization reactions on novel gold/metal carbide catalysts. In order to avoid the negative environmental effects of SO₂ one can design highly efficient DeSOx processes or remove the sulfur that is present in oil‐derived fuels by hydrodesulfurization. This chapter starts by describing studies examining the adsorption of S and S‐containing molecules on different types of metal carbide surfaces, paying attention to the effects of the carbon : metal ratio on the prevention of S poisoning and on the reactivity of the carbide towards S–O and C–S bond cleavage. Then, we focus on studies examining the interaction of gold with MC substrates, with respect to variations in the strength of the Au↔C interactions with admetal particle size and the properties of the carbide surface. This is followed by studies of DeSOx and HDS processes on highly active Au/MC surfaces.