Kinetic studies on high temperature desulphurization of synthesis gas with zinc ferrite

The desulphurization of synthesis gas with zinc ferrite was studied in a laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor. Desulphurization efficiency of 97-99% was obtained. The inlet hydrogen sulphide concentration was about 2600 ppm. A flat breakthrough curve showed that diffusion through the sulphide layer controlled the rate of sulphidization. The degrees of utilization varied between 5 and 11%. Experimental data formed the basis of a kinetic evaluation with the fixed bed model and the unreacted core model. Rate constants, reaction orders, and effective diffusion constants were calculated. When chemical reaction controlled the rate, the order of reaction was between zero and unity. The rate of reaction increased with temperature. Effective diffusivities were of the order of 10-5 m2 s-1, increasing slightly in the temperature range between 500 and 600 °C. The activation energy was determined as 54 kJ mol-1, which corresponds to an unexpectedly strong temperature dependence of the diffusion-controlled reaction. The low degrees of utilization, and also the strong temperature dependence, are explained by sintering of the sulphidized zinc ferrite.