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Volume 109
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Shale oil hydro-upgrading over NiMo/Al2O3 with H2-rich gas from methanol steam reforming
Xiaoyu Wu a b, Mengjuan Zhang a b *, Chao Wang a b c *, Chenhong Wan a b, Peng Zheng a b, Zhennan Han a b, Xin Jia a b, Zhanguo Zhang a b, Guangwen Xu a b *
a Key Laboratory of Resources Chemicals and Materials (Shenyang University of Chemical Technology), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, 110142, China
b College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang, 110142, China
c School of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Liaoning Petrochemical University, Fushun, 113001, China
10.1016/j.partic.2025.12.011
Volume 109, February 2026, Pages 292-301
Received 24 October 2025, Revised 11 December 2025, Accepted 12 December 2025, Available online 2 January 2026, Version of Record 17 January 2026.
E-mail: zhangmengjuan@syuct.edu.cn; wangchao@lnpu.edu.cn; gwxu@syuct.edu.cn
Highlights

• As-Generated H2-rich gas produced from methanol steam reforming is directly used for shale oil hydro-upgrading.

• Sulfur content in upgraded shale oil meets the required standard of marine oil.

• Steam in H2-rich gas can reduce carbon deposition on catalyst during hydrogenation of heavy oil.

• Direct integration of methanol steam reforming and shale oil hydro-upgrading is technically feasible.


Abstract

This article investigated the hydrodesulfurization of shale oil over NiMo/Al2O3 catalyst in a fixed bed reactor downstream a methanol steam reformer that provides H2-rich gas containing CO2 and steam. Under the optimal conditions of hydrogenation, say, at 380 °C, 4 MPa, a gas/oil volume ratio of 600:1, and an oil hourly space velocity of 4.0 h−1, the sulfur content in the upgraded shale oil varied around 4400 ppm, showing a sulfur removal efficiency above 66 % and the satisfaction of the international standard for marine fuel oil (ISO 8217). The oil exhibited significant improvement on quality, including enhanced calorific value, reduced density and viscosity, increased fraction of light oil, and decreased proportion of heavy oil. Through characterization of catalysts, it was found that steam in H2-rich gas did not significantly affect hydrodesulfurization efficiency. The presence of steam not only promoted hydrocracking of heavy fractions but reduced also carbon deposition on the catalyst during hydro-processing. A 125-h continuous test on stability of performance further corroborated the technical feasibility of the investigated process, establishing essentially a practical pathway to upgrade shale oil by using the as-generated methanol-reformed gas without removal of its containing CO2 and steam as the hydrogen source.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Shale oil; Catalytic hydrodesulfurization; Methanol steam reforming; CO2-Containing H2; Marian fuel oil
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