Highly Active Bulk Mo(W)S2 Hydrotreating Catalysts Synthesized by Etching out of the Carrier from Supported Mono- and Bimetallic Sulfides

A bulk MoWS2 catalyst has been synthesized by acid etching of the carrier from the supported MoWS2/Al2O3 catalyst obtained on the basis of the mixed bimetallic heteropoly acid (HPA) H4[SiMo3W9O40]. As reference samples, monometallic MoS2 and WS2 catalysts have been prepared from the corresponding supported analogues, as well as a Mo + WS2 sample based on a mechanical mixture of monometallic HPA in the atomic ratio of Mo/W = 1/3. The catalytic properties of the synthesized catalysts have been studied in model reactions of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzthiophene (DBT) and hydrogenation (HYD) of naphthalene in a flow unit. It has been shown that the catalytic activity of the samples in both the DBT HDS and naphthalene HYD reactions increases in the following order: MoS2 < WS2 < Mo + WS2 MoWS2. It has been found that the bulk tungsten-containing catalysts exhibit higher specific catalytic activity than the supported counterparts. Increased values of hydrogen uptake according to the results of hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction for the bulk catalysts indicate an increase in the number of active sites and the formation of a more effective active phase compared to supported catalysts.