Nanoporous articles and methods of making same

Abstract

A method is provided for producing an ultra-low sulfur hydrocarbon product from a hydrocarbon feedstock containing refractory sulfur compounds utilizing a carbon adsorbent. Also described is a hydrocarbon processing system configured to produce an ultra-low sulfur hydrocarbon product from hydrocarbon feedstock containing refractory sulfur compounds. The hydrocarbon processing system also utilizes a carbon adsorbent.

1 . A method of producing an ultra-low sulfur hydrocarbon product from a hydrocarbon feedstock containing refractory sulfur compounds, comprising:
 contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock with a carbon adsorbent effective for sorptive removal of said refractory sulfur compounds, to yield desulfurized hydrocarbon;   desorbing from said carbon adsorbent a desorbate comprising said refractory sulfur compounds;   evaporation processing of said desorbate to recover a high sulfur bottoms material therefrom;   hydrodesulfurizing the high sulfur bottoms material to yield hydrodesulfurized hydrocarbon; and   blending the desulfurized hydrocarbon and hydrodesulfurized hydrocarbon to yield said ultra-low sulfur hydrocarbon product.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said hydrocarbon feedstock comprises feedstock selected from the group consisting of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, crude oil, and petroleum. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said hydrocarbon feedstock comprises feedstock selected from the group consisting of gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel fuel. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the refractory sulfur compounds comprise at least one of dibenzothiophene, 4-methyldibenzothiophene, and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising recovering a sulfur-depleted overhead from said evaporation processing, and recycling the sulfur-depleted overhead to said contacting. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the carbon adsorbent comprises nanoporous carbon. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the carbon adsorbent comprises a PVDC-derived carbon. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said PVDC-derived carbon has at least 30% of overall porosity constituted by slit-shaped pores having a size in a range of from 0.3 to 0.72 nm, and at least 20% of the overall porosity comprising pores of diameter <2 nm, with a bulk density of from 0.80 to 2.0 g per cubic centimeter. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said carbon adsorbent is provided in a bed of said adsorbent for said contacting. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the bed of carbon adsorbent comprises carbon adsorbent particles. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the bed of carbon adsorbent comprises monolithic carbon. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said contacting is conducted by flow of the hydrocarbon feedstock through one of multiple adsorbers, wherein each of the adsorbers includes a vessel having a bed of the carbon adsorbent therein, and wherein the adsorbers are operated with one of the multiple adsorbers engaged in said contacting, while another is offstream during an offstream duration in which it is subjected to purging with a purge medium to carry out said desorbing. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock contains at least one of the sulfur compounds dibenzothiophene, 4-methyldibenzothiophene, and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene, and the ultra-low sulfur hydrocarbon product contains less than 1 ppm of each such compound that is present in the hydrocarbon feedstock. 
     
     
         14 . A hydrocarbon processing system configured to produce an ultra-low sulfur hydrocarbon product from a hydrocarbon feedstock containing refractory sulfur compounds, said system comprising:
 at least one adsorber, wherein each said adsorber comprises a vessel containing carbon adsorbent, and the vessel is arranged for (i) flow of hydrocarbon feedstock to contact the carbon adsorbent to sorptively remove the refractory sulfur compounds, to yield desulfurized hydrocarbon, and (ii) subsequent desorption from said carbon adsorbent of desorbate comprising said refractory sulfur compounds;   an evaporator arranged in fluid flow communication with the at least one adsorber, for flow of the desorbate from the adsorber to the evaporator, wherein the evaporator is configured to process the sorbate to produce a high sulfur bottoms material and a sulfur-depleted overhead;   a hydrodesulfurization reactor arranged in fluid flow communication with the evaporator, for flow of the high sulfur bottoms material to the hydrodesulfurization reactor, wherein the hydrodesulfurization reactor is configured to hydrodesulfurize the high sulfur bottoms material to yield hydrodesulfurized hydrocarbon; and   a blender arranged in fluid flow communication with (i) the at least one adsorber, to receive therefrom the desulfurized hydrocarbon, and (ii) the hydrodesulfurization reactor, to receive therefrom the hydrodesulfurized hydrocarbon, wherein the blender is configured to blend the desulfurized hydrocarbon and hydrodesulfurized hydrocarbon to yield the ultra-low sulfur hydrocarbon product.   
     
     
         15 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 14 , further comprising a source of said hydrocarbon feedstock, arranged in feed relationship to the at least one adsorber. 
     
     
         16 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 15 , wherein said source comprises feedstock selected from the group consisting of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, crude oil, and petroleum. 
     
     
         17 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 15 , wherein said source comprises feedstock selected from the group consisting of gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel fuel. 
     
     
         18 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 15 , wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock comprises refractory sulfur compounds including at least one of dibenzothiophene, 4-methyldibenzothiophene, and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene. 
     
     
         19 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 14 , further comprising a recycle line arranged to flow the sulfur-depleted overhead from the evaporator to the at least one adsorber. 
     
     
         20 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 14 , wherein the carbon adsorbent comprises nanoporous carbon. 
     
     
         21 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 14 , wherein the carbon adsorbent comprises a PVDC-derived carbon. 
     
     
         22 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 21 , wherein said PVDC-derived carbon has at least 30% of overall porosity constituted by slit-shaped pores having a size in a range of from 0.3 to 0.72 nm, and at least 20% of the overall porosity comprising pores of diameter <2 nm, with a bulk density of from 0.80 to 2.0 g per cubic centimeter. 
     
     
         23 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 14 , wherein said carbon adsorbent is provided in a bed of said adsorbent in said vessel. 
     
     
         24 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 23 , wherein the bed of carbon adsorbent comprises carbon adsorbent particles. 
     
     
         25 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 23 , wherein the bed of carbon adsorbent comprises monolithic carbon. 
     
     
         26 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 14 , wherein said at least one adsorber comprises multiple adsorbers, configured for flow of the hydrocarbon feedstock through one of multiple adsorbers for contacting the carbon adsorbent thereof, wherein the adsorbers are operated with one of the multiple adsorbers engaged in contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock, while another is offstream during an offstream duration in which it is subjected to purging with a purge medium to carry out said desorbing. 
     
     
         27 . The hydrocarbon processing system of  claim 14 , configured so that when the hydrocarbon feedstock contains at least one of the sulfur compounds dibenzothiophene, 4-methyldibenzothiophene, and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene, the ultra-low sulfur hydrocarbon product contains less than 1 ppm of each such compound that is present in the hydrocarbon feedstock.