Recycling hydrogen and sulfur by microwave chemical processing
Conference
·
OSTI ID:10182271
A waste-treatment process is being developed that recovers both hydrogen and sulfur from hydrogen sulfide-contaminated industry waste. The proposed process uses microwave energy to initiate plasma-chemical reactions that dissociate hydrogen sulfide into elemental hydrogen and sulfur. Using a reaction scheme that recovers a hydrogen product has several advantages over the current Claus technology that burns the hydrogen to water. Both processes produce a clean sulfur product that can be recovered and sold. However, the microwave process produces a gaseous stream that is purified and then separated into streams containing the product hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide for recycle to the plasma-chemical reactor, and the process purge containing carbon dioxide and water. Experiments with pure hydrogen sulfide at flow rates of 0.5--1.5 L/min and microwave powers of 400--1,000 W had previously confirmed that conversions of over 90% per pass are possible. Experiments with impurities typical of petroleum refinery waste hydrogen sulfide streams have demonstrated that these impurities are compatible with the plasma dissociation process and that they do not appear to create new waste treatment problems. Later experiments showed that the cyclonic-flow pattern hypothesized by the Russian theoretical analysis of the plasma-chemical process can substantially decrease hydrogen sulfide dissociation energy requirements while increasing conversion. This technology has a long-term potential for saving $500 million to $1,000 million annually in the refining industry.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 10182271
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/CP--76897; CONF-9209186--2; ON: DE92040744
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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