Modelling and optimisation of oxidative desulphurisation of tyre-derived oil via central composite design approach

The aim of this study was to apply the central composite design technique to study the interaction of the amount of formic acid (6-12 mL), amount of hydrogen peroxide (6-10 mL), temperature (54-58°C) and reaction time (40-60 min) during the oxidative desulphurisation (ODS) of tyre-derived oil (TDO). The TDO was oxidised at various parametric interactions before being subjected to solvent extraction using acetonitrile. The acetonitrile to oil ratios used during the extraction were 1:1 and 1:2. The content of sulphur before and after desulphurisation was analysed using ICP-AES. The maximum sulphur removal achieved using a 1:1 acetonitrile to oxidised oil ratio was 86.05%, and this was achieved at formic acid amount, hydrogen peroxide amount, temperature and a reaction time of 9 mL, 8 mL, 54°C and 50 min respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the reduced cubic model could best predict the sulphur removal for the ODS process. Coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.9776), adjusted R2 = 0.9254, predicted R2 = 0.8356 all indicated that the model was significant. In addition, the p-value of lack of fit (LOF) was 0.8926, an indication of its insignificance relative to pure error.