Hydrotreating Ni heteropolytungstate catalysts have been prepared by impregnation of γ-Al₂O₃-alumina with solutions of H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ acid and its Ni salt. The nickel content is varied by adding Ni(NO₃)₂ salt. The calcined samples are characterized by BET, IR, TPR, and XPS techniques. The catalytic activity is tested for HDS of thiophene. It is shown that the initial heteropolyanion, its lacunary analog, and nickel substituted heteropolyanion are present on the surface as a result of the interaction between the active component and the alumina support. The mixed NiWS phase formed after sulfidation determines the HDS activity of the catalysts.

Tri-metallic NiMoW catalysts prepared by impregnating mesoporous aluminas (pore sizes of ~9 nm and surface areas of ~225 m²/g) obtained by sol-gel (NiMoW/Al) and hydrothermal (NiMoW/Al_HYDT) processes were investigated in the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of thiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) at H₂ pressures of 1 MPa and 5.0 MPa, respectively. The supports and catalysts were characterized by N₂ physisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The NiMoW/Al_HYDT catalyst, which was the most active in both test HDS reactions, was characterized by a pore size of 7.5 nm, whereas the pore size of the catalyst on sol-gel alumina (NiMoW/Al) was only 4.8 nm. Moreover, the NiMoW/Al_HYDT catalyst exhibited reduction peaks shifted to a lower temperature during TPR, indicating weaker metal support interactions, a higher degree of Mo (79%) and W (48%) sulfidation, and an optimal layer slab length distribution of Mo(W)S₂ nanocrystals preferentially between 2–4 nm with an average layer stacking of 1.7 compared to the NiMoW/Al counterpart.