Method for treating hazardous and corrosion-inducing sulfur compounds

A method of treating a first compound, which contains sulfur in a reactive form, to produce a second compound which contains a product selected from the group consisting of a sulfate, elemental sulfur and mixtures thereof,

• said method comprising the steps of contacting said first compound with an aqueous solution comprising an effective quantity of an oxidizing agent and maintaining said contact for a time sufficient to produce said product, wherein:
• said first compound is selected from the group consisting of water soluble compounds containing sulfur-to-sulfur bonds having an anion defined by the general structure
• [SOa—SX—SOb]−2
• wherein X is 0 to 4, a is 0 to 3, and b is 2 or 3, mercaptans, water soluble sulfides, water insoluble sulfides, sulfites, and mixtures thereof;
• said oxidizing agent is selected from the group consisting of water soluble inorganic persulfates, water soluble inorganic and organic adducts of hydrogen peroxide and mixtures thereof, wherein said adducts of hydrogen peroxide are defined by the general structure
• C.YH2O2.ZH2O
• wherein C is an organic material or an inorganic borate or carbonate, Y has a value in the range of from about 1.0 to about 1.5 and Z has a value in the range of from about 0 to about 3;
• said aqueous solution has a pH in the range of from about 4 to about 11;
• and
• said contacting is conducted at a temperature in the range of from about 70° F. to a value less than about the boiling point of said aqueous solution.