HIGHLIGHTING THE EFFECT OF THE SUPPORT DURING THE H2S ADSORPTION AT LOW TEMPERATURE OVER COMPOSITE Zn-Cu SORBENTS

Reactive adsorption of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) from gaseous streams with mixed oxides (ZnO-CuO) supported onto alumina at room temperature is dealt in this manuscript. Sorbents with a fixed total metal content and variable Zn:Cu ratios were prepared by impregnation of a commercial alumina in order to investigate the origin of possible synergic effect of the two metal oxides. H2S (500-3000 ppmv in N2) removal tests were run under dynamic conditions at 30 °C. Experimental techniques such as BET and pore size distribution by N2-adsorption, SEM-EDX, XRD and DRIFT analysis were coupled for the characterization of fresh and spent sorbents. TPD/TPO experiments on saturated sorbents allowed the speciation of adsorbed sulphur species, testifying the complexity of the surface reactions