Separation of hydrogen sulfide from gaseous and non-aqueous liquid streams
AssigneeStandard Oil Company (Indiana)
InventorsEdward T. Maas, Jr., Davida W. Kalina
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An indirect hydrogen sulfide conversion process for the production of elemental hydrogen and sulfur. The process is based upon the electrochemical oxidation of iodide in an aqueous solution with a pH in the range of 0 to 1 at high current densities and current efficiencies. Hydrogen gas is produced concurrently with soluble triiodide. Treatment of a gaseous or non-aqueous liquid stream with electrolyte solutions containing triiodide yields a sulfur product in plastic form. The sulfur product can be recrystallized from a solvent to yield sulfur of comparable purity to that presently produced.
Claims6
A process for converting the H.sub.2 S in a gaseous or non-aqueous liquid stream to hydrogen and elemental sulfur comprising feeding to a reaction zone said stream and an anolyte containing I.sub.3.sup.- as an oxidant at a pH of 0 to 1 from a first reservoir to effect the following reaction:
- I.sub.3.sup.- +H.sub.2 S.fwdarw.2H.sup.+ +3I.sup.- +S
- removing H.sub.2 S-free stream from said reaction zone, removing anolyte-containing solid sulfur from said reaction zone, removing sulfur from anolyte containing same, returning sulfur-free anolyte to said first reservoir, providing an electrolysis cell having a membrane therein to separate said cell into anode and cathode chambers, establishing a voltage across said cell, providing a second reservoir;
- passing an acid from said second reservoir to said cathode chamber and from said cathode chamber back to said second reservoir, removing hydrogen from said acid returned to said second reservoir, passing an I.sub.3.sup.- -depleted stream from said first reservoir to said anode chamber and an I.sub.3.sup.- rich stream from said anode chamber to said first reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.