Adsorption-oxidation of hydrogen sulfide on activated carbon fibers: effect of the composition and the relative humidity of the gas phase

The removal of hydrogen sulfide by oxidation-adsorption on two type carbon fibers, Actitex(R)FC1201 and RS1301, was studied. Two kinetic steps where identified. During the first step, the degradation appears to be limited by the oxidation reaction. In the second kinetic step, the by-products inhibit the hydrogen sulfide degradation. This leads to a limitation in the carbon site's accessibility and to a lower kinetic. The Langmuir-Hinshelwood model was used to correlate the experimental results and to estimate the kinetic (k) and the Langmuir adsorption (K) constants. For FC1201 fibers, the kinetic constant (k) is five time higher and the adsorption constant is five time lower compared to the RS1301 fibers. The role of the humidity was found to be highly beneficial for the removal of hydrogen sulfide. Especially in the second kinetic step, where it removes the by-product formed and therefore delays the occurrence of this low kinetic step. The kinetic constant (k) is strongly influenced by humidity while the Langmuir adsorption constant (K) seems independent. The effect of the nature of the gas phase on the reaction kinetic was also studied. Under a dry atmosphere, we note that the oxidation-reaction occurs even if the gaseous oxygen is not present. This oxidation is due to the oxygen surface function of the carbon fibers. Moreover, the degradation kinetic is faster under a dry nitrogen atmosphere. The presence of water traces leads to the acidification of the carbon surface, under oxygen or carbon dioxide atmospheres, and hence limits the hydrogen sulfide dissociation. In a humid atmosphere, the oxygen or carbon dioxide leads to a faster reaction kinetic. The acidification of the carbon surface is largely counterbalanced by the dissolution of the by-products. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.