Amino-Modified Fe-Terephthalate Metal-Organic Framework as an Efficient Catalyst for the Selective Oxidation of H 2 S.

Classical amino-functionalized Fe-terephthalate metal-organic framework NH2 -MIL-53(Fe) and its parent framework MIL-53(Fe) were prepared via simple hydrothermal methods. The catalytic performaces of these two Fe-MOFs were explored for the selective oxidation of H2 S. The physicochemical properties of the fresh and used Fe-MOFs catalysts were investigated by XRD, BET, SEM, FT-IR, CO2 -TPD, and XPS techniques. It was found that the introduction of amino groups reduces the activation energies for H2 S oxidation and endows this catalyst surface with moderate basic sites. As a result, the NH2 -MIL-53(Fe) catalyst displays high H2 S conversion and near 100% S selectivity in the temperature range of 130-160 °C, outperforming commercial Fe2 O3 and activated carbon. Moreover, a plausible reaction route for H2 S selective oxidation over NH2 -MIL-53(Fe) is proposed. This work opens up the possibility of utilizing MOFs as efficient catalyst for desulfuration reactions.