# The Research on the Esterification Deacidification of Vacuum Gas Oil by FeZn Bimetal–Organic Frameworks Catalysts

## TL;DR

This study develops a FeZn bimetal-organic framework catalyst for efficiently deacidifying vacuum gas oil through esterification.

## Contribution

The paper introduces optimized synthesis and reaction conditions for FeZn-MOFs@Al2O3 catalysts to achieve high deacidification efficiency.

## Key findings

- The optimal synthesis conditions were 140 °C for 1 h with a Fe3+/Zn2+ molar ratio of 1.3:0.7.
- The catalyst achieved a 96.3% deacidification rate for vacuum gas oil under optimal conditions.
- The best esterification parameters included 2.5 wt% catalyst and 4.0 wt% ethylene glycol at 250 °C for 1 h.

## Abstract

The FeZn-MOFs@Al2O3 catalyst was synthesized under solvothermal conditions. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH3-TPD), and specific Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and pore volume were used to systematically investigate the effects of different parameters such as molar ratio of iron to zinc, synthesis temperature, and synthesis time on the properties of the materials. The results showed that the optimum synthesis conditions of FeZn-MOFs@Al2O3 composites were 140 °C for 1 h, and the optimum molar ratio of Fe3+ and Zn2+ was 1.3:0.7. Under the aforesaid conditions, FeZn-MOFs@Al2O3 had the deacidification rate of vacuum gas oil (VGO) up to 96.3%. The optimum esterification parameters were as follows: the amounts of catalyst and ethylene glycol were, respectively, 2.5 wt% and 4.0 wt% of the sample oil, the reaction temperature was 250 °C, and the reaction time was 1 h.