As oil prices rise, so will the market for cheaper forms of petroleum-based fuels. Cheaper petroleum contains more impurities, which will aggravate environmental problems, like heavier air pollution and acid rain. Purifying the fuel will alleviate the environmental harm. Sulfur impurities can be removed by treatment with catalytic materials such as Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂).

Researchers from the University of Texas at El Paso, CNRS and SSRL are collaborating to study the morphology of catalytically active forms of MoS₂ and how the morphology changes over time under the high pressures of industrial desulfurization reactors. Through x-ray structure analysis, they determined that the catalyst changes morphology after several years in a high-pressure industrial reactor without significant change to its activity. The researchers were surprised by these findings, since they contradict the traditional understanding of how morphology affects activity. This study has enabled a better understanding of the mechanism of MoS₂ catalytic action, which could lead to the design of more active and longer lasting catalysts to purify fuels.

To learn more about this research see the full scientific highlight at:
http://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/research/highlights_archive/mos2.html

Perez De la Rosa M., Texier S., Berhault G., Camacho A., Yacaman M.J., Mehta A., Fuentes S., Montoya J.A., Murrieta F., Chianelli R.R.,: J. Catal. 225 (2004) 288.