Development of Nanostructured Al2O3-TiO2 Mixed Oxides as Supports for NiMoW Catalysts and Their Evaluation in 3-Methyl Thiophene Hydrodesulfurization

The present work aims to synthesize trimetallic catalysts supported on mixed oxides such as Al2O3-TiO2. These mixed oxides have been synthesized via the hydrothermal method, which enables us to determine the favorable textural properties that facilitate the oxide in achieving a high dispersion of the NiMoWS active phase. The synthesis of NiMoW supported on Al2O3-TiO2 with varying morphological characteristics presents a wide range of research opportunities related to catalysts for HDS. The knowledge generated by the proposed parametric studies will be essential in establishing a scientific basis for preparing catalysts with suitable properties in this field. Moreover, this study provides two key contributions to the field of hydrotreating catalysis. First, we demonstrate that hydrothermal synthesis assisted by Triton X-100 enables the formation of Al2O3–TiO2 nanostructures with controlled defect density and Ti distribution, features not attainable through conventional sol–gel or mechanical mixing methods. Second, we show that these defect-rich mixed oxides uniquely modulate the dispersion and electronic structure of NiMoW sulfide phases, revealing a nonlinear dependence of activity on W incorporation. These findings offer new guidelines for the rational design of mixed oxide supports for deep hydrotreating applications.