Abstract: A series of S Zorb catalysts with low nickel loading was prepared by impregnation method using nickel nitrate or nickel acetate as precursor, and the catalysts were evaluated in a small fixed fluidized bed reactor to investigate the effect of the Ni loading and the source of nickel on the desulfurization performance and the octane number retention ability. The results show that under the condition of the same nickel loading, the catalysts prepared with nickel acetate have a larger specific surface area, better metal dispersion，higher initial and stable activity, and much lower octane number loss.

Key words: S Zorb, catalyst, nickel, desulfurization activity