Ferric oxide chips

Supporting the hydrated ferric oxide chips is a combination of a perforated, heavy metal support plate and a coarse support packing material. This material may consist of scrap pipe thread protectors and 2-3-in. sections of small diameter pipe. This provides support for the bed, while offering some protection against detrimental pressure surges. 

The ferric oxide is impregnated on wood chips, which produces a solid bed with a large ferric oxide surface area. Several grades of treated wood chips are available, based on iron oxide content. The most common grades are 6.5-, 9.0-, 15.0-, and 20-lb iron oxide/bushel. The chips are contained in a vessel, and sour gas flows through the bed and reacts with the ferric oxide. Figure 7-3 shows a typical vessel for the iron sponge process. 

Chemical complexes of various transition metals have been shown to promote N-nitrosation (28). These metal complexes include ferrocyanide, ferricyanide, cupric ion, molybate ion, cobalt species, and mercuric acetate. All of the reactions are thought to proceed by oxidation-reduction mechanisms. However, such promotion may not be characteristic of transition metal complexes in general, since ferricyanide ion has been shown to promote nitrosation in metalworking fluids, whereas ferric EDTA does not (2 0). Since the metalworking operation generates metal chips and fines which build up in the fluids, this reaction could be of significance in the promotion of nitrosamine formation in water-based metalworking fluids. 

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