Process for the purification of non-reacting gases

The process for the purification of an industrial gas stream of one or more of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, air, nitrogen, oxygen, helium, argon, mono-olefins having from two to five carbon atoms per molecule, diolefins having four or five carbon atoms per molecule, paraffins and acetylenes, by the removal of trace amounts of impurities therein, of one or more of water, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, carbonyl sulfide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, nitric acid, and mercaptans which process comprises the steps of:

• providing a liquid essentially non-aqueous solution comprising from about 0.5 to about 15 weight percent of at least one member selected from the group consisting of alkali and alkaline earth metal, present as a hydroxide or a carbonate, in a liquid aliphatic polyhydric alcohol having a carbon to oxygen ratio of one to about five, and at least two oxygens thereof being separated by not more than two sequential carbon atoms;
• heat treating said solution to remove water originally in the solution as well as water formed by natural hygroscopic reaction with said alcohols and by the reaction:
• selected group metal hydroxide+polyhydric alcohol.revreaction.H.sub.2 O+metal alcoholate,
• as well as the following reaction to activate said solution (if a carbonate is selected):
• selected group metal carbonate+H.sub.2 O.revreaction.metal hydroxide+CO.sub.2 ;
• stripping the resultant solution to remove the water, effecting purification by contacting said industrial gas, at a temperature between about 15.degree. and 100.degree. C., with the stripped solution;
• and separating the purified industrial gas from the reaction products of said contacting step.