Catalyst-Sorbent Hybrid Process for Organic Sulfur Removal

Abstract

A hybrid process, comprising of a metal oxide catalyst and an advanced sorbent is for removing mercaptans, COS, CS2 and other complex sulfide/disulfide compounds from natural gas, natural gas liquids, and CO2 rich gas streams. A dedicated catalyst bed is used to dimerize the mercaptans into their respective disulfides. The removal of dimerized compounds is easily achieved over low-cost high surface area adsorbents. The catalyst has the desired surface functionalization to promote the reaction either in the presence of high concentrations of water or in dry gas streams. A low-cost mesoporous carbon adsorbent may be used to remove the heavy disulfide species with high capacity and removal efficiency. The pore size of the sorbent may be optimized to accommodate large species.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.