Investigation of the Adsorption of Hydrogen Sulfide on Faujasite Zeolites Focusing on the Influence of Cations

During the conversion of natural gas to liquified natural gas, sulfur components are separated by adsorption on zeolites. New zeolite materials may improve this adsorption process. In this paper, the adsorption of hydrogen sulfide is studied on seven faujasite (FAU) zeolites, which differ only in the number of sodium and calcium cations. From a pure NaX zeolite (13X), which contains only sodium cations, the calcium cation content was gradually increased by ion exchange. In a fixed-bed adsorber, cumulative equilibrium loadings of H₂S on these zeolites were determined at concentrations between 50 and 2000 ppm at 25 and 85 °C and 1.3 bar (abs). Adsorption isotherms were analyzed considering the influence of cation positioning in the FAU zeolites. The experimental data indicate a superposition of a chemisorptive and a physisorptive mechanism. At a small number of chemisorptive sites, we conclude a dissociation of hydrogen sulfide and covalent bonding of the proton and the hydrogen sulfide ion to the zeolite lattice. The contribution of chemisorption exhibits a very low temperature dependence, which is typical for nearly irreversible reactions with an equilibrium strongly shifted to one side. With an increase in the proportion of Ca²⁺ cations, only physisorptive adsorption by electrostatic interaction with the cations in the lattice was observed. A large number of physisorptive sites have a lower energetic value. The share of physisorption strongly depends on temperature, which is characteristic of reversible equilibrium reactions.

Utilisation of waste Cu-, Mn- and Fe-loaded zeolites generated after wastewater treatment as catalysts for air treatment

Disposal of copper, manganese and iron is particularly problematic in wastewater of metallurgical and galvanization plants, the electronics industry and agriculture. On the other hand, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), emitted from industrial processes, transportation and consumer products are the main class of air pollutants. The study revealed the potential of waste metal-loaded zeolite, generated through wastewater treatment procedures, to be utilised as an effective VOC removal catalyst for air treatment. In the first step, we have evaluated the sorption performance of natural zeolite clinoptilolite (HEU type), and synthetic zeolite 4A (LTA type) for the simultaneous removal of Cu2+, Mn2+ and Fe3+ species from aqueous solution. By a detailed sorption study, we determined the optimum sorption conditions and maximum metal concentrations in wastewater that can be after treatment disposed of in rivers or municipal plants. The efficiency of both zeolites for metal immobilization was demonstrated for concentrations up to 5 mg metals/1 g zeolite. These waste Cu-, Mn- and Fe-loaded zeolites were thermally treated at 540 °C before the second step, where we evaluated their catalytic performance in removing VOC. The thermally treated waste Cu-, Mn- and Fe-loaded natural zeolite clinoptilolite showed good catalytic performance in total toluene oxidation as a model VOC (conversion rate up to 96% at 510°C) and cycling stability (less than 15% drop in conversion rate in 4 h). In contrast, this is not the case for thermally treated waste Cu-, Mn- and Fe-loaded synthetic zeolite 4A.

Equilibrium and Kinetic Adsorption of Hydrogen Fluoride onto Zeolite 3A

Equilibrium and kinetic adsorption behaviours of hydrogen fluoride (HF) onto zeolite 3A were investigated under different temperatures (298–338 K) and pressures (0.15–1.1 bar). The HF adsorption isotherms on zeolite 3A were well described by the Dubinin–Astakhov (DA) model. The isosteric heat of HF adsorption was calculated based on the DA model and Clausius–Clapeyron equation, and different kinetic models were used to analyze the HF adsorption kinetic. The results showed HF adsorption isotherms are type I of the IUPAC classification. The maximum adsorption capacities by the DA model are 0.443–0.5631 mg/g. The $H_{st}$ values decrease with increasing surface loading indicating the surface energy heterogeneity of zeolite 3A. The HF adsorption kinetics on zeolite 3A follows simple first-order kinetics. The calculated film diffusion parameter $B_t$ values show nonlinear characteristics with time. The order of magnitude of interparticle HF diffusion coefficient $D_c$ is 10−9 m2/s. The higher pressure and temperature are in favour of HF diffusion. The intraparticle diffusion curves for HF adsorption on zeolite 3A show quart-linear characteristics, indicating the presence of four consecutive HF adsorption steps including film diffusion, interparticle diffusion, intraparticle diffusion, and surface adsorption. The intraparticle diffusion is a rate-controlling stage.

Recent Attempts on the Removal of H2S from Various Gas Mixtures Using Zeolites and Waste-Based Adsorbents

Natural gas, biogas, and refinery gas all include H2S, which has adverse effects not only on the environment and human health but also on the equipment and catalysts that are employed in the relevant processes. H2S is removed from the aforementioned gases using a variety of techniques in order to fulfill the necessary sales criteria and for reasons of safety. The adsorption method stands out among various other approaches due to its straightforward operation, high level of efficiency, and low overall cost. This technique makes use of a variety of adsorbents, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), activated carbon, and zeolites. The use of zeolite-based adsorbents is by far the most common of these various types. This is due to the specific properties of zeolite-based adsorbents, which include a high adsorption capacity, the ability to be regenerated, a high temperature stability, a diversity of types, the possibility of modification, high efficiency, and low cost. In addition, research is being done on adsorbents that are made from inexpensive raw materials in order to remove H2S. This article focuses on zeolites, zeolite modifications, and wastes as an adsorbent for the removal of H2S, all of which have been investigated fruitfully in recent years, as well as the promising applications of zeolites.

Study of Water Adsorption on EDTA-Modified LTA Zeolites

The present work deals with the study of water adsorption on acid-modified zeolites A. Commercial zeolites 4A (Na form) and 5A (Ca form) were subjected to EDTA dealumination, and their structure, textural properties and stability were checked by XRD, EDX, NMR and N₂ physisorption analyses. The water adsorption isotherms of the parent zeolites and their modified forms were measured at a temperature of 25 °C and up to a relative pressure of 0.9. The results show that the treatment with EDTA drastically changes the structural properties of the zeolites and increases the water adsorption capacity by up to 10%. The changes depend on the type of extra-framework cations (Na⁺ and Ca²⁺) and the EDTA concentration.

Chitosan Biocomposites for the Adsorption and Release of H2S

The search for H₂S donors has been increasing due to the multiple therapeutic effects of the gas. However, the use of nanoporous materials has not been investigated despite their potential. Zeolites and activated carbons are known as good gas adsorbents and their modification with chitosan may increase the material biocompatibility and simultaneously its release time in aqueous solution, thus making them good H₂S donors. Herein, we modified with chitosan a series of A zeolites (3A, 4A and 5A) with different pore sizes and an activated carbon obtained from glycerin. The amount of H₂S adsorbed was evaluated by a volumetric method and their release capacity in aqueous solution was measured. These studies aimed to verify which of the materials had appropriate H₂S adsorption/release properties to be considered a potential H₂S donor. Additionally, cytotoxicity assays using HeLa cells were performed. Considering the obtained results, the chitosan composite with the A zeolite with the larger pore opening was the most promising material to be used as a H₂S donor so a further cytotoxicity assay using H₂S loaded was conducted and no toxicity was observed.