A process and a plant for purifying a crude gas stream containing sulfur components and hydrocarbons by gas scrubbing using a scrubbing medium which is selective for sulfur components in an absorption column. Heavy hydrocarbons and heavy mercaptans are removed from the crude gas in a lower section of the absorption column and the resulting, loaded scrubbing medium stream is fed separately from the other loaded scrubbing medium streams to a hot regeneration column. A vapor stream enriched in water, hydrocarbons and sulfur components is obtained as overhead product from the hot regeneration column and this stream is cooled to below its dew point and is separated in a gas-liquid-liquid phase separation apparatus. The resulting, organic liquid phase contains heavy hydrocarbons and heavy mercaptans and can thus be discharged from the process or the plant, as a result of which accumulation thereof in the scrubbing medium is prevented.

Disclosed is a Sabatier reactor apparatus including a carbon sorbent bed having an inlet for introducing a reactant stream to the carbon sorbent bed and an outlet for exiting a treated reactant stream from the carbon sorbent bed; and a Sabatier reactor having an inlet for introducing the treated reactant stream to the Sabatier reactor and an outlet for removing a product stream from the Sabatier reactor. Also disclosed is a method of preparing a reactant stream for a Sabatier reactor.

The invention is directed to a continuous process to treat a hydrogen sulphide comprising gas comprising the following steps: (a) contacting the hydrogen sulphide comprising gas with an aqueous alkaline solution further comprising sulphide oxidising bacteria thereby obtaining a loaded aqueous solution comprising sulphide compounds and sulphide oxidising bacteria. (b) contacting the loaded aqueous solution with an oxygen comprising gas to regenerate the sulphide oxidising bacteria to obtain a liquid effluent comprising regenerated sulphide oxidising bacteria which is partly used as the aqueous alkaline solution in step (a). (c) separating elemental sulphur as prepared by the sulphide oxidising bacteria in steps (a) and (b) from the loaded aqueous solution of step (a) and/or from the liquid effluent of step (b) and wherein the consumption of oxygen in step (b) is measured and wherein the supply of oxygen in step (b) is controlled by the measured consumption of oxygen.

Structured adsorbent beds comprising a high cell density substrate, such as greater than about 1040 cpsi, and a coating comprising adsorbent particles, such as DDR and a binder, such as SiO.sub.2 are provided herein. Methods of preparing the structured adsorbent bed and gas separation processes using the structured adsorbent bed are also provided herein.

A solvent and method for removing carbon dioxide from a gaseous mixture flow with high carbon dioxide partial pressures are disclosed. The solvent includes a secondary or tertiary amine, an amine activator, a physical solvent (e.g., thioalkanol), and a carbonate buffer. The solvent contains less than about 60% by weight of water and is in a single liquid phase.

The present invention concerns the use, for gas separation, of at least one zeolite adsorbent material comprising at least one FAU zeolite, said adsorbent having an external surface area greater than 20 m.sup.2.Math.g.sup.−1, a non-zeolite phase (PNZ) content such that 0<PNZ≦30%, and an Si/Al atomic ratio of between 1 and 2.5. The invention also concerns a zeolite adsorbent material having an Si/Al ratio such that 1≦Si/Al<2.5, a mesoporous volume of between 0.08 cm.sup.3.Math.g.sup.−1 and 0.25 cm.sup.3.Math.g.sup.−1, a (Vmicro−Vmeso)/Vmicro ratio of between −0.5 and 1.0, non-inclusive, and a non-zeolite phase (PNZ) content such that 0<PNZ≦30%.

There is an absorbent mixture usable for the removal of sour gases from gas mixtures. The mixture has at least one organic base having a pK.sub.b (in water) less than or equal to 3.2; at least one alcoholic solvent of general formula R(OH).sub.n having a boiling temperature above or equal to 100° C. at ambient pressure, wherein R is a linear or branched saturated alkyl group having a number of carbon atoms between 2 and 20 and n is a whole number varying between 1 and 20; an aprotic polar solvent having a dielectric constant ε at 25° C. greater than or equal to 30, a viscosity μ at 25° C. less than or equal to 14 cP, preferably less than or equal to 12 cP; and a boiling temperature at normal pressure equal to or above 130° C. There is also a process for the removal of sour gases using the absorbent mixture.

Disclosed in certain embodiments are methods of removing water from a gas feed stream comprising mercaptans and water during an adsorption step of an adsorption cycle.

Disclosed herein are supramolecular porous organic nanocomposites for heterogenous photocatalysis as well as methods of making and using the same. The nanocomposite comprises an admixture of a polymeric matrix and a macrocycle.

A method for removing contaminants from a gas stream including contacting a gas stream comprising hydrocarbons and sulfur contaminants with a modified nanocomposite adsorbent. Also provided are compositions and processes for forming compositions of a modified nanocomposite adsorbent composition for removing sulfur contaminants from a hydrocarbon stream. Additionally, provided is system for removing sulfur impurities from a gaseous hydrocarbon stream, where the system includes a plurality of adsorbent vessels arranged in series, where the adsorbent vessels include an emulsion of a modified nanocomposite adsorbent composition.