Innovative aspects of environmental chemistry and technology regarding air,water, and soil pollution

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Effect of fly ash addition on the removal of hydrogen sulfide from biogas and air on sewage sludge-based composite adsorbents

Desulfurization adsorbents were prepared from the mixtures of various compositions of New York City sewage sludge and fly ashes from SASOL, South Africa, by pyrolysis at 950 degrees C. The resulting materials were used as adsorbents of hydrogen sulfide from simulated dry digester gas mixture or moist air. The adsorbents before and after H(2)S removal were characterized using adsorption of nitrogen, elemental analysis, pH measurements, XRF, XRD, and thermal analysis. It was found that the addition of fly ash decreases the desulfurization capacity in comparison with the sewage sludge-based materials. The extent of this decrease depends on the type of ash, its content and the composition of challenging gas. Although the presence of CO(2) deactivates some adsorption sites to various degrees depending on the sample composition, the addition of ashes has a more detrimental effect when the adsorbents are used to remove hydrogen sulfide from air. This is likely the result of hydrophobicity of ashes since the H(2)S removal capacity was found to be strongly dependent on the reactivity towards water/water adsorption. On the other hand, the addition of ashes strongly decreases the porosity of materials where sulfur, as a product of hydrogen sulfide oxidation, can be stored.     

Adsorption of hydrogen sulfide on montmorillonites modified with iron

Sodium-rich montmorillonite was modified with iron in order to introduce active centers for hydrogen sulfide adsorption. In the first modification, interlayer sodium cations were exchanged with iron. In another modification, iron oxocations were introduced to the clay surface. The most elaborated modification was based on doping of iron within the interlayer space of aluminum-pillared clay. The modified clay samples were tested as hydrogen sulfide adsorbents. Iron-doped samples showed a significant improvement in the capacity for H2S removal, despite of a noticeable decrease in microporosity compared to the initial pillared clay. The smallest capacity was obtained for the clay modified with iron oxocations. Variations in adsorption capacity are likely due to differences in the chemistry of iron species, degree of their dispersion on the surface, and accessibility of small pores for H2S molecule. The results suggest that on the surface of iron-modified clay hydrogen sulfide reacts with Fe(+3) forming sulfides or it is catalytically oxidized to SO2 on iron (hydro)oxides. Subsequent oxidation may lead to sulfate formation.