Reaction of hydrogen sulfide with oxygen in the presence of sulfite

Technical Report · Fri Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 1983

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6131155· OSTI ID:6131155

Weres, O; Tsao, L

Commonly, abatement of hydrogen sulfide emission from a geothermal powerplant requires that hydrogen sulfide dissolved in the cooling water be eliminated by chemical reaction. Oxidation by atmospheric oxygen is the preferred reaction, but requires a suitable catalyst. Nickel is the most potent and thereby cheapest catalyst for this purpose. One mg/L nickel in the cooling water would allow 99% removal of hydrogen sulfide to be attained. A major drawback of catalytic air oxidation is that colloidal sulfur is a major reaction product; this causes rapid sludge accumulation and deposition of sulfur scale. We studied the kinetics and product distribution of the reaction of hydrogen sulfide with oxygen, catalyzed by nickel. Adding sodium sulfite to the solution completely suppresses formation of colloidal sulfur by converting it to thiosulfate. The oxidation reaction is an autocatalytic, free radical chain reaction. A rate expression for this reaction and a detailed reaction mechanism were developed. Nickel catalyzes the chain initiation step, and polysulfidoradical ions propagate the chains. Several complexes of iron and cobalt were also studied. Iron citrate and iron N-hydroxyEDTA are the most effective iron based catalysts. Uncomplexed cobalt is as effective as nickel, but forms a precipitate of cobalt oxysulfide and is too expensive for practical use. 33 figures, 9 tables.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 6131155
• Report Number(s): LBL-11377; ON: DE83011132
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
42 ENGINEERING
CATALYSTS
SCREENING
COBALT COMPLEXES
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS
GASEOUS WASTES
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
AIR POLLUTION ABATEMENT
OXIDATION
NICKEL
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
NICKEL COMPLEXES
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CITRATES
EDTA
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
OXYGEN
RADICALS
AMINO ACIDS
CARBOXYLIC ACID SALTS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHELATING AGENTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMPLEXES
DATA
ELEMENTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
KINETICS
METALS
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION ABATEMENT
POWER PLANTS
REACTION KINETICS
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPLEXES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WASTES
Geothermal Legacy
400201* - Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
150800 - Geothermal Power Plants
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
424000 - Engineering- Pollution Control Equipment- (1980-1989)