The most common processes for removing sulfur compounds from petroleum fractions involve treating the oil with hydrogen at moderate pressures (200-300 psi) and moderate temperatures (400°-800° F.) in the presence of a suitable solid catalysts in one or more reactors, processes collectively referred to as hydrotreating. The process converts the sulfur in the hydrocarbon compounds to hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
Hydrogen sulfide can be removed from a gas stream by a variety of processes. One process to remove H2S from a gas stream is to use liquid-phase oxidation. Alternatively, the H2S may be dissolved in a liquid in which the other compounds of the gas stream are much less soluble than the H2S based on either their physical properties or their alkalinity.