Synthesis of metal-oxide pillared montmorillonite clay for the selective catalytic oxidation of H2S

In the present work, titania-pillared clay (Ti-PILC) and zirconia-pillared clay (Zr-PILC) were synthesized, and their catalytic performance was studied for the selective oxidation of H2S to elemental sulfur. The obtained pillared clays (PILCs) were characterized by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, BET surface area measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis-DRS), temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH3-TPD), and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The reaction tests were carried out in a continuous flow fixed-bed reactor at temperature ranging from 220 to 300 degrees C. The conversion of H2S increased with increasing temperature for all PILCs while the selectivity to SO2 remained almost constant. The good catalytic performance of the metal-oxide pillared clays may be due to the high surface area and the presence of Bronsted and Lewis acid sites. (C) 2010 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.