Reaction of hydrogen sulfide with oxygen in the presence of sulfite

Technical Report · Fri Jan 14 04:00:00 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 Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 6131155
• Report Number(s): LBL-11377; ON: DE83011132
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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