A treatment process for remediating H.sub.2S and other contaminants in liquids includes: partially filling a closed vessel with a contaminated liquid containing 5 ppm H.sub.2S with a head space above the liquid within the vessel where gasses released from the liquid from the liquid collect; separately providing a treatment composition in the head space so that the gasses from the liquid may contact the treatment composition; and permitting the contact between the vapors from the liquid and the treatment composition to continue until a collective concentration of H.sub.2S in the liquid and in the head space is <5 ppm. The treatment composition includes an aqueous solution containing at least one hydroxide compound, a collective concentration of the at least one hydroxide compound in the aqueous solution is in a range of 35-55 weight %, and the aqueous solution constitutes at least 80 weight % of the treatment composition.

Systems and processes for removing organic acids from liquid hydrocarbon product streams are provided. The systems and processes can include injecting an ammoniated water wash into a liquid hydrocarbon product stream, such as an effluent stream from a methanol conversion process, and subsequently separating the treated liquid hydrocarbon product stream from the wash water. The addition of ammonia can reduce the amount of water wash by an unexpected amount.

Systems and processes for removing organic acids from liquid hydrocarbon product streams are provided. The systems and processes can include injecting an ammoniated water wash into a liquid hydrocarbon product stream, such as an effluent stream from a methanol conversion process, and subsequently separating the treated liquid hydrocarbon product stream from the wash water. The addition of ammonia can reduce the amount of water wash by an unexpected amount.

An integrated mercaptan extraction and/or sweetening and thermal oxidation and flue gas treatment process for a wide variety of sulfur, naphthenic, phenolic/cresylic contaminated waste streams is described. It provides comprehensive treatment for the safe disposal of sulfidic, naphthenic, phenolic/cresylic spent caustic streams, disulfide streams, spent air streams, spent mixed amine and caustic streams (also known as COS solvent streams) from sulfur treating processes. It allows the use of regenerated spent caustic in the sulfur oxide removal section of the thermal oxidation system reducing the need for fresh NaOH. It may also contain an integrated make-up water system. The integration allows the use of the liquefied petroleum gas or other hydrocarbon feeds to the respective extraction or sweetening process to offset external fuel gas requirements for the thermal oxidation system and for the push/pull system of the spent caustic surge drum and optional hydrocarbon surge drum.

An integrated controlled catalytic oxidation process converts low value disulfide oil (DSO) compounds produced as a by-product of a generalized mercaptan oxidation (MEROX) process into oxidized DSO (ODSO) compounds including sulfoxides, sulfones, sulfonates and sulfinates that are completely or partially water soluble and which have utility, e.g., as lubricity additives in diesel fuel and as a solvent in aromatic solvent separation processes.

A treatment process for preparing a remediated liquid from a contaminated liquid originally containing more than 5 ppm hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) and substantially without formation of precipitate, includes steps of steps of adding an aqueous solution containing at least one hydroxide compound at a collective concentration of 35-55 wt % to the contaminated liquid to achieve a concentration of 125-5000 ppm of the hydroxide compounds in the contaminated liquid, adding a fulvic acid and/or a humic acid to the contaminated liquid to achieve a concentration of 0.01-10 ppm of the acid(s) in the contaminated liquid, and dispersing the aqueous solution and the at least one organic acid in the contaminated liquid and allowing the aqueous solution and the at least one organic acid to react with the contaminated liquid for a period of time until a concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the contaminated liquid is reduced to 5 ppm.

A treatment process for preparing a remediated liquid from a contaminated liquid originally containing more than 5 ppm hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) and substantially without formation of precipitate, includes steps of steps of adding an aqueous solution containing at least one hydroxide compound at a collective concentration of 35-55 wt % to the contaminated liquid to achieve a concentration of 125-5000 ppm of the hydroxide compounds in the contaminated liquid, adding a fulvic acid and/or a humic acid to the contaminated liquid to achieve a concentration of 0.01-10 ppm of the acid(s) in the contaminated liquid, and dispersing the aqueous solution and the at least one organic acid in the contaminated liquid and allowing the aqueous solution and the at least one organic acid to react with the contaminated liquid for a period of time until a concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the contaminated liquid is reduced to 5 ppm.

Treatment of hydrocarbon streams, and in one non-limiting embodiment refinery distillates, with reducing agents, such as borohydride and salts thereof, alone or together with at least one co-solvent results in reduction of the sulfur compounds such as disulfides, mercaptans, thiophenes, and thioethers that are present to give easily removed sulfides. In one non-limiting embodiment, the treatment converts the original sulfur compounds into hydrogen sulfide or low molecular weight mercaptans that can be extracted from the distillate with caustic solutions, hydrogen sulfide or mercaptan scavengers, solid absorbents such as clay or activated carbon or liquid absorbents such as amine-aldehyde condensates and/or aqueous aldehydes.

Treatment of hydrocarbon streams, and in one non-limiting embodiment refinery distillates, with reducing agents, such as borohydride and salts thereof, alone or together with at least one co-solvent results in reduction of the sulfur compounds such as disulfides, mercaptans, thiophenes, and thioethers that are present to give easily removed sulfides. In one non-limiting embodiment, the treatment converts the original sulfur compounds into hydrogen sulfide or low molecular weight mercaptans that can be extracted from the distillate with caustic solutions, hydrogen sulfide or mercaptan scavengers, solid absorbents such as clay or activated carbon or liquid absorbents such as amine-aldehyde condensates and/or aqueous aldehydes.

Treatment of hydrocarbon streams, and in one non-limiting embodiment refinery distillates, with reducing agents, such as borohydride and salts thereof, alone or together with at least one co-solvent results in reduction of the sulfur compounds such as disulfides, mercaptans, thiophenes, and thioethers that are present to give easily removed sulfides. In one non-limiting embodiment, the treatment converts the original sulfur compounds into hydrogen sulfide or low molecular weight mercaptans that can be extracted from the distillate with caustic solutions, hydrogen sulfide or mercaptan scavengers, solid absorbents such as clay or activated carbon or liquid absorbents such as amine-aldehyde condensates and/or aqueous aldehydes.