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Title: Reaction of hydrogen sulfide with oxygen in the presence of sulfite

Abstract

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 toomore » expensive for practical use. 33 figures, 9 tables.« less

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
6131155
Report Number(s):
LBL-11377
ON: DE83011132
DOE Contract Number:  
AC03-76SF00098
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
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)

Citation Formats

Weres, O, and Tsao, L. Reaction of hydrogen sulfide with oxygen in the presence of sulfite. United States: N. p., 1983. Web. doi:10.2172/6131155.
Weres, O, & Tsao, L. Reaction of hydrogen sulfide with oxygen in the presence of sulfite. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/6131155
Weres, O, and Tsao, L. 1983. "Reaction of hydrogen sulfide with oxygen in the presence of sulfite". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/6131155. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6131155.
@article{osti_6131155,
title = {Reaction of hydrogen sulfide with oxygen in the presence of sulfite},
author = {Weres, O and Tsao, L},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {10.2172/6131155},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6131155}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 1983},
month = {Fri Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 1983}
}