Sulfur recovery process using metal oxide absorbent with reducing gas purge

Patent · Tue Jul 18 04:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:5454740

Lee, M H

This patent describes a process for the recovery of sulfur from a H/sub 2/S containing gaseous stream. The process consists of: (a) converting H/sub 2/S to elemental sulfur by the Claus reaction in a Claus furnace and producing an effluent stream comprising both H/sub 2/S and SO/sub 2/; (b) removing both H/sub 2/S and SO/sub 2/ from the effluent stream by reaction in a first absorption zone with a sorbent containing ZnO, optionally after converting substantially all sulfur species to H/sub 2/S, thereby producing ZnS and an absorber effluent stream comprising H/sub 2/ and CO; (c) regenerating ZnS to ZnO in a second absorption zone by admixing O/sub 2/ with at least a portion of the absorber effluent and introducing the resulting stream containing from about 0.4 to about 3.5 mol.% O/sub 2/ into contact with ZnS in the second absorption zone, thereby producing regenerated ZnO and a regeneration effluent stream; (d) conditioning the regenerated ZnO from step (c) by introducing at least a portion of absorber effluent, without oxygen, into contact with the regenerated ZnO in the second absorption zone; and (e) interchanging the first absorption zone and the second absorption zone and continuing steps (b), (c), and (d); wherein step (d) is conducted for a period of time effective for reducing by at least 10% a temporary increase in emissions of SO/sub 2/ otherwise occurring from the second absorption zone after the first and second absorption ones are interchanged in the absence of step (d).

• Assignee: Amoco Corp., Chicago, IL
• Patent Number(s): US 4849202
• Application Number: PPN: US 7125786A
• OSTI ID: 5454740
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020800* -- Petroleum-- Waste Management
500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ABSORPTION
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CLAUS PROCESS
CONTROL
DESULFURIZATION
ELEMENTS
GASEOUS WASTES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
INORGANIC PHOSPHORS
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORS
POLLUTION CONTROL
RECOVERY
SULFIDES
SULFUR
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
WASTES
ZINC COMPOUNDS
ZINC OXIDES
ZINC SULFIDES