[O]-induced reactive adsorptive desulfurization of liquid fuel over Ag_XO@SBA-15 under ambient conditions

The development of processes for clean energy production with low energy consumption is a central strategy for a sustainable and environmentally friendly planet. Here we report a novel [O]-induced reactive adsorptive desulfurization (RADS) approach for ultra-clean fuel production using multifunctional Ag_XO@SBA-15 adsorbent with and without the addition of air under ambient conditions. The adsorption capacity of Ag_XO@SBA-15 by RADS reached 4.4 times of that by conventional ADS from low-sulfur fuel (10 ppm-S), and its adsorption selectivity was enhanced 2.4 orders of magnitude. Over 90% of sulfur was removed within 10 min (corresponds to the space velocity of 6 h⁻¹). The RADS mechanism was illustrated as a simultaneous oxidation of thiophenic compounds (to sulfones) and the selective adsorption of sulfones, where the nano-sized silver species detected at different valence states (AgO, Ag₂O and Ag) and the fed air played the versatile enabling roles as the oxidation catalyst and the oxidant, respectively, and the surface silanol groups were suggested as the preferential adsorption sites for the sulfones yielded. The work may open up new avenues for developing supported metal oxides for ultra-clean fuel production under ambient conditions, taking advantage of self-retained [O] and/or introduced earth-abundant air.