Processes for converting ethane into ethylene include the steps of subjecting a water feed stream to electrolysis to form O.sub.2 and H.sub.2, subjecting a mixture of ethane and O.sub.2 to oxidative dehydrogenation to form a reaction product containing ethylene, acetic acid, water, and CO/CO.sub.2, separating the reaction product into an ethylene product stream, an acetic acid product stream, a water product stream, and a gas stream containing CO/CO.sub.2, and introducing the water product stream into the water feed stream for electrolysis. The ethylene product stream can be contacted with a suitable polymerization or oligomerization catalyst composition to produce ethylene polymers or ethylene oligomers.

A composite material is used for desulfurization. The composite material contains activated carbon, alkali metal oxides, silicon oxides, iron oxides, and rare earth element oxides. The weight ratio among the activated carbon, iron oxides and rare earth element oxides is 100:(0.5-5):(1-10). The composite material, used as a sulfur adsorbent, has a higher sulfur breakthrough capacity and desulfurization rate.

A process for producing synthesis gas (syngas) comprising the endothermic reaction between CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2S, wherein the energetic supply is provided by the exothermic oxidation of a small portion of H.sub.2S to SO.sub.2 according to the following reaction scheme: R2: H.sub.2S+1.5O.sub.2.fwdarw.SO.sub.2+H.sub.2O said process being carried out according to the following overall theoretical reaction scheme R1, not taking into account the aforementioned exothermic reaction R2, R1: CO.sub.2+2H.sub.2S.fwdarw.CO+H.sub.2+S.sub.2+H.sub.2O wherein the amount of fed oxygen is comprised between 5% and 25% by volume over the total volume of fed reactants gaseous mixture.

A process to produce a sulfur-free hydrocarbon product stream from a liquid hydrocarbon disulfide product, e.g., of the Merox Process, includes subjecting the hydrocarbon disulfide to a catalytic oxidation step to produce SO.sub.2 which is separated from the remaining desulfurized hydrocarbons that form the clean sulfur-free hydrocarbon product stream; the SO.sub.2 is introduced into a Claus processing unit with the required stoichiometric amount of hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) gas to produce elemental sulfur.

A chemical looping combustion (CLC) process for sour gas combustion includes a number of reaction zones and is configured to provide in-situ oxygen production and in-situ removal of SO.sub.2 from a product gas stream by reacting the SO.sub.2 with a calcium-based sorbent at a location within one reaction zone. The CLC process is also configured such that the in-situ oxygen production results from the use of a metal oxide oxygen carrier which is purposely located such that it does not directly contact the sour gas, thereby eliminating the generation of undesirable sulfur-based metal oxides.

The present disclosure relates to a process for purification of an aqueous solution comprising hydrogen sulfide comprising the steps of a. directing an amount of recycle gas to contact the aqueous solution comprising hydrogen sulfide, to separate a gas comprising hydrogen sulfide from the aqueous solution, b. heating said gas comprising hydrogen sulfide optionally after addition of a source of oxygen to provide a process feed gas, c. in a hydrogen sulfide oxidation step directing said process feed gas to oxidation of hydrogen sulfide to sulfur dioxide, d. in a sulfur dioxide oxidation step directing said sulfur dioxide rich gas to contact a material catalytically active in oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide, to provide a sulfur trioxide rich gas e. in a condensation step cooling said sulfur trioxide rich gas, to enable hydration of sulfur trioxide and condensation of sulfuric acid to provide a stream of concentration sulfuric acid and a purified process gas, and in a recycling step, directing at least a part of the purified process gas as said recycle gas.

A method for controlling a temperature of an incinerator may include determining a flow rate of a gas stream. The gas stream may be being passed from a sulfur recovery system to the incinerator. The method may include adjusting a target temperature of the incinerator. The target temperature of the incinerator is proportional to the flow rate of the gas stream. The method may include determining a temperature of the incinerator and adjusting the flow rate of a fuel gas being passed to the incinerator such that the temperature of the incinerator approaches the target temperature of the incinerator.

A method of separating oxygen from a body of water includes providing a colony of denitrifying bacteria submerged in the body of water. The colony of denitrifying bacteria can be used to convert at least a portion of nitrogen oxides present in the body of water to nitrogen gas. The method can also include collecting the nitrogen gas and bubbling the nitrogen gas through a portion of water from the body of water to remove dissolved oxygen from the portion of water. This can form a mixture of the nitrogen gas and oxygen gas.

A method can include performing a series of reactions in a closed cycle, the series of reactions consisting of a hydrolysis reaction where a redox reagent is oxidized to a corresponding oxidized redox reagent with water contemporaneously with the production of hydrogen; and a reduction reaction where the oxidized redox reagent is reduced to the redox reagent using a sulfurous reactant contemporaneously with production of sulfur dioxide.

The present disclosure provides autocatalytic cycles and chemical reactor systems in which the autocatalytic cycles may be conducted. Also provided are methods of identifying the autocatalytic cycles and methods of conducting the autocatalytic cycles, e.g., to produce a desired product. Regarding the methods of conducting the autocatalytic cycles, such a method comprises: carrying out a comproportionation reaction by reacting a first reactant M.sub.1 and a second reactant M.sub.2 to form a product M.sub.3, wherein M.sub.1, M.sub.2, and M.sub.3 each comprise at least one chemical element in common and the product M.sub.3 is produced in stoichiometric excess; and carrying out an auxiliary reaction by converting the product M.sub.3 to M.sub.1 or M.sub.2.