Removal of Hydrogen Sulfide with Metal Oxides in Packed Bed Reactors—A Review from a Modeling Perspective with Practical Implications

Abstract

Sulfur, and in particular, H 2 S removal is of significant importance in gas cleaning processes in different applications, including biogas production and biomass gasification. H 2 S removal with metal oxides is one of the most viable alternatives to achieve deep desulfurization. This process is usually conducted in a packed bed configuration in order to provide a high solid surface area in contact with the gas stream per unit of volume. The operating temperature of the process could be as low as room temperature, which is the case in biogas production plants or as high as 900 ∘ C suitable for gasification processes. Depending on the operating temperature and the cleaning requirement, different metal oxides can be used including oxides of Ca, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn. In this review, the criteria for the design and scale-up of a packed bed units are reviewed and simple relations allowing for quick assessment of process designs and experimental data are presented. Furthermore, modeling methods for the numerical simulation of a packed bed adsorber are discussed.