Iron sponge wood chips

The iron sponge process is very old (introduced in England in the mid-19th century) and very simple. It removes only H S and mercaptans. It is good only for streams containing low H2S concentrations at pressures of 25 to l,200psig. Hydrated iron oxide containing water and of proper pH is supported on wood chips or other material. Water is injected with the gas. 

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. 

Next, characteristic properties of components are listed to select appropriate separation method (Table 3.7). Because the trace components belong to different chemical families, we eliminate gas-phase catalytic oxidation or hydrogenation. More specific chemical-based techniques remain. A first one is reversible chemical absorption. As solvents we may enumerate liquid redox systems (chelated iron), caustic washing solutions, amines or special formulations, as Selexol . Since H2S and C02 both have an add character, we may expect that a certain amount of C02 will pass in the off-gas stream. Dry chemical treatment could also be used, as reaction of H2S with iron-sponge or impregnated wood chips. 

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