Ni-MOF-74 Based on Nickel Extract Obtained from Spent Hydrodesulfurization Catalyst

Abstract

During the refining processes, when catalyst activity falls below acceptable levels and it is not possible to regenerate it for its reuse, the catalyst is disposed of as solid waste; however, the spent catalysts could be a promising source of metals for manufacturing new products due to their high content of heavy metals, such as nickel. In this research, nickel recovered from a spent hydrodesulfurization catalyst by ultrasonication-assisted leaching was used as a metal source for the synthesis of Ni-MOF-74 material (Ni-MOF-74E), and its properties and CO2 adsorption capture capacity were compared with a Ni-MOF-74 prepared with commercial salt nickel nitrate (Ni-MOF-74C). The MOF-74 structure was confirmed by analytical techniques such as FT-IR and powder X-ray diffraction. By SEM and EDX, the fusiform morphology and the elemental composition were found. The CO2 capture capacity, evaluated at 298 K, 288 K and 273 K, showed that the Ni-MOF-74E material presented an adsorption capacity higher than 2.2 mmol g−1 and a heat adsorption of 44 kJ mol−1.