ECONOMIC REMOVAL OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE FRM NATURAL GAS AND OIL

THIS PROPOSAL IS CONCERNED WITH THE ECONOMIC REMOVAL OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE, A TOXIC MATERIAL, FROM SOUR NATURAL GAS AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS. THE CURRENT STATUS OF H2S PROCESSING IS REVIEWED. THE CHEMISTRY OF SULFUR AND SULFIDE IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS AND PRELIMINARY WORK ALREADY CARRIED OUT IN THE CONTINUOUS ELECTROLYSIS OF H2S TO YIELD HYDROGEN AND SULFUR ARE BRIEFLYDISCUSSED. THE ESTIMATED ECONOMIC GAINS IN H2S REMOVAL TREATMENTS BY THE CO-PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN ARE DESCRIBED, AND T THE ECONOMICS OF THERMAL AND ELECTROCHEMICAL PROCESSES FOR H2S REMOVAL ARE COMPARED. RESEARCH IS PROPOSED, THAT WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VIABLE AND EFFICIENT PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN AND SULFUR BY THE ELECTROLY LYSIS OF H2S IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS. THE RESEARCH PROPOSED INVOLVES ELECTRODE KINETIC STUDIES, PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL SPLITTING OF H2S, LABORATORY SCALE ELECTROLYSIS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BENCH SCALE DEMONSTRATION UNIT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF S AND H2 FROM GAS MIXTURES WITH H2S.