Hydrodesulfurization

Hydrodesulfurization or hydrodesulphurisation (HDS), also called hydrotreatment or hydrotreating, is a <a href="/facts/Catalytic/LPBS7TQC">catalytic</a> chemical process widely used to <a href="/facts/Desulfurization/YLIGdUcX">remove sulfur</a> (S) from <a href="/facts/Natural_gas/9MYQ7NAP">natural gas</a> and from <a href="/facts/Oil_refinery/yeaW0UMv">refined petroleum products</a>, such as <a href="/facts/Gasoline/lcnxq5BS">gasoline or petrol</a>, <a href="/facts/Jet_fuel/4CDswF3t">jet fuel</a>, <a href="/facts/Kerosene/DoHPYXKp">kerosene</a>, <a href="/facts/Diesel_fuel/lm71xc19">diesel fuel</a>, and <a href="/facts/Fuel_oil/5Qbta9f5">fuel oils</a>. The purpose of removing the sulfur, and creating products such as <a href="/facts/Ultra-low-sulfur_diesel/TedIPWwz">ultra-low-sulfur diesel</a>, is to reduce the <a href="/facts/Sulfur_dioxide/jDK1fIDs">sulfur dioxide</a> (SO2) emissions that result from using those fuels in automotive <a href="/facts/Vehicles/jSIEqANL">vehicles</a>, <a href="/facts/Aircraft/EhC4mBep">aircraft</a>, railroad <a href="/facts/Locomotives/C9YV7wrQ">locomotives</a>, <a href="/facts/Ships/418ptx1L">ships</a>, gas or oil burning <a href="/facts/Fossil-fuel_power_station/ryQElUJs">power plants</a>, residential and industrial furnaces, and other forms of fuel <a href="/facts/Combustion/ohQoWj8z">combustion</a>.

Another important reason for removing sulfur from the <a href="/facts/Petroleum_naphtha/36acq3lI">naphtha</a> streams within a <a href="/facts/Petroleum_refinery/yeaW0UMv">petroleum refinery</a> is that sulfur, even in extremely low concentrations, <a href="/facts/Catalyst_poisoning/mU3dwzez">poisons</a> the <a href="/facts/Noble_metal/Pe9EKIvU">noble metal</a> catalysts (<a href="/facts/Platinum/qJC6lQf7">platinum</a> and <a href="/facts/Rhenium/TzyqJYEn">rhenium</a>) in the <a href="/facts/Catalytic_reforming/2ybErEUI">catalytic reforming</a> units that are subsequently used to upgrade the <a href="/facts/Octane_rating/LqkAlYbq">octane rating</a> of the naphtha streams.
The industrial hydrodesulfurization processes include facilities for the capture and removal of the resulting <a href="/facts/Hydrogen_sulfide/UbCqjMMk">hydrogen sulfide</a> (H2S) gas. In <a href="/facts/Oil_refinery/yeaW0UMv">petroleum refineries</a>, the hydrogen sulfide gas is then subsequently converted into byproduct, <a href="/facts/Sulfur/IK0amTfM">sulfur</a> (S) or <a href="/facts/Sulfuric_acid/Wom6fymJ">sulfuric acid</a> (H2SO4). In fact, the vast majority of the 64,000,000 metric tons of sulfur produced worldwide in 2005 was byproduct sulfur from refineries and other hydrocarbon processing plants.
An HDS unit in the petroleum refining industry is also often referred to as a hydrotreater.

Hydrodesulfurization open-in-new

Hydrodesulfurization