Production of H2S with a Novel Short Process for the Removal of Heavy Metals in Acidic Effluents from Smelting Flue Gas Scrubbing Systems.
Direct sulfidation using a high concentration of H2S (HC H2S) has shown potential for heavy metals removal in various acidic effluents. However, the lack of a smooth method for producing HC H2S is a critical challenge. Herein, a novel short process hydrolysis method was developed for the on site production of HC H2S. Near perfect 100% efficiency and selectivity were obtained via CS2 hydrolysis over the ZrO2 based catalyst. Meanwhile, no apparent residual sulfur/sulfate poisoning was detected, which guaranteed long term operation. The coexistence of CO2 in the products had a negligible effect on the complete hydrolysis of CS2. H2S production followed a sequential hydrolysis pathway, with the reactions for CS2 adsorption and dissociation being the rate determining steps. The energy balance indicated that HC H2S production was a mildly exothermic reaction, and the heat energy could be maintained at self balance with approximately 80% heat recovery. The batch sulfidation efficiencies for As(III) Hg(II) Pb(II) and Cd(II) removal were over 99.9% following the solubilities (Ksp) of the corresponding metal sulfides. CO2 in the mixed gas produced by CS2 hydrolysis did not affect heavy metals sulfidation due to the presence of abundant H+ Finally, a pilot scale experiment successfully demonstrated the practical effects. Therefore, this novel on site HC H2S production method adequately achieved heavy metals removal requirements in acidic effluents.
Environmental science technology