The stringent rules of sulfur content and the increasing consumption of fuel oils have motivated researchers to develop the desulfurization technologies of liquid fuels. Oxidative desulfurization (ODS) has been one of the most promising alternative strategies owing to its lower cost and mild operating condition. Thereinto, the catalyst is crucial. The present research importantly surveys recent advances in transition metal-based catalysts, such as transition metal oxides, transition metal nitrides, transition metal carbides, polyoxometalates, and single-atom catalysts. More importantly, approaches for enhancing their catalytic activity through supporting them onto various carriers have been extensively investigated and reported. Herein, the advantages, drawbacks, and prospects of each catalyst for the ODS of liquid fuels and its improved methods through metal–support interactions (MSI) have been reviewed. Additionally, the structure–activity relationships and the mechanisms of the ODS of various catalysts adjusted by MSI have been discussed. The new catalysts with excellent performances for accelerating the industrial applications of ODS need to be more investigated.
Li et al. (2025) studied this question.