Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Sulphur removal is essential for processing fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil and coal. The currently availablesulphur removal and recovery technologies waste the hydrogen in hydrogen sulphide, though some of themrecover sulphur. These traditional technologies are not in favour with the economy and environment of Canada,where there is an oversaturated sulphur market on one hand, and a tremendous hydrogen demand forhydrotreating on the other. Hydrogen production from hydrocarbon fuels generates carbon dioxide, thegreenhouse gas. This project envisages a process based on a thermochemical reaction cycle which splitshydrogen sulphide into hydrogen and elemental sulphur, with other materials such as sulphuric acid, iodine andhydroiodic acid as working agents that are circulated in the cycle. The reactions include:(1)H2S(g)+H2SO4(l)=SO2(g)+2H2O+S(s); (2)2H2O(l)+I2(l)+SO2(g)=H2SO4(l)+2HI(l); and (3)2HI=H2+I2.The investigators will develop an integrate chemical engineering process that produces hydrogen from wastehydrogen sulphide by conducting researches on these reactions and the related separations.The implementation of such a new technology will be beneficial to Canada's economy and environment.Particularly in western Canada, production of crude oil and natural gas is rapidly increasing to meet the energyneeds. Sourer resources have to become the targets of exploitation, meaning more hydrogen sulphide will needto be treated for every unit of production. This technology will convert hydrogen sulphide into hydrogen. Forcrude oil processing, this hydrogen can be recycled to hydrotreating, reducing the natural gas purchase or usefor hydrogen production. For sour natural gas processing, the hydrogen produced from sulphur removal couldeither become the clean fuel or be pipelined into refining facilities for hydrotreating use. Environmentally, theconversion of hydrogen sulphide into hydrogen will dramatically reduce carbon dioxide production due to theless reliability of hydrogen on hydrocarbon fuels which this technology supposes to lead to.