PROCESS FOR RECOVERING ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS FROM FUEL OIL AND EQUIPMENT THEREFOR

摘要

The present invention provides a process and equipment for efficiently and economically recovering organic sulfur compounds in a fuel oil while maintaining the original chemical structures thereof. The fuel oil is admixed with a solvent low in solubility therein of hydrocarbons and high in solubility therein of organic sulfur compounds to effect migration of the organic sulfur compounds in the fuel oil into the solvent by making much of the nucleophilic properties of a lone pair of electrons on a bivalent sulfur atom of a sulfur-containing functional group, followed by fuel oil-solvent separation by settling out or with a centrifugal force. Alternatively, a solvent having a boiling point not exceeding the boiling point of the fuel oil is added to the fuel oil, and the solvent and the fuel oil are then agitated and mixed together at a temperature of at most the boiling point of the solvent to effect migration of the organic sulfur compounds in the fuel oil into the solvent while lowering the viscosity of the fuel oil, followed by cooling of the fuel oil and the solvent to a temperature not exceeding room temperature and subsequent fuel oil-solvent separation by settling out or with a centrifugal force. Subsequently, the separated solvent is distilled to recover the organic sulfur compounds.