THERMOLYSIS OF HYDROGEN-SULFIDE IN A METAL-MEMBRANE REACTOR

A hydrogen-permeable composite-metal membrane for facilitating the thermal decomposition of H2S is described. The membrane contains a platinum coating layer on the feed side of the membrane. The platinum layer resists irreversible chemical attack by H2S at 700-degrees-C and partial pressures of up to 115 psia. This membrane has been used in a laboratory-scale membrane reactor to drive the decomposition of H2S to greater than 99.4% of complete conversion. The byproducts are sulfur and hydrogen; no sulfur oxides are formed. The thermal decomposition of H2S within the membrane reactor is accurately described by a simple model that considers the initial composition of the feed gas, the equilibrium expression for H2S decomposition, and the hydrogen flux for the membrane.