Hydrogen Sulfide Waste, Treatment By Microwave Plasma Dissociation

A new waste-treatment technology for hydrogen sulfide using a microwave-generated plasma to dissociate hydrogen sulfide appears to have a substantial economic edge over the current industrial technology. The advantage of the plasma process is that it can recover hydrogen, as well as sulfur, from hydrogen sulfide. Since the plasma process requires less energy to dissociate hydrogen sulfide than is needed to generate hydrogen, the new process will save a substantial amount of energy. Experimental results from the Soviet technical literature and Argonne National L-aboratory indicate that the microwave energy required to dissociate pure hydrogen sulfide may be only slightly greater than its heat of formation. In addition, tests at Argonne with typical refinery sour gas compositions indicated the plasma waste-treatment process can dissociate hydrogen sulfide in the presence of carbon dioxide, water, and methane.