Production of H2S with a Novel Short-Process for the Removal of Heavy Metals in Acidic Effluents from Smelting Flue-Gas Scrubbing Systems

Direct sulfidation using a high concentration of H 2 S (HC-H 2 S) has shown potential for heavy metals removal in various acidic effluents. However, the lack of a smooth method for producing HC-H 2 S is a critical challenge. Herein, a novel short-process hydrolysis method was developed for the on-site production of HC-H 2 S. Near-perfect 100% efficiency and selectivity were obtained via CS 2 hydrolysis over the ZrO 2 -based catalyst. Meanwhile, no apparent residual sulfur/sulfate poisoning was detected, which guaranteed long-term operation. The coexistence of CO 2 in the products had a negligible effect on the complete hydrolysis of CS 2 . H 2 S production followed a sequential hydrolysis pathway, with the reactions for CS 2 adsorption and dissociation being the rate-determining steps. The energy balance indicated that HC-H 2 S production was a mildly exothermic reaction, and the heat energy could be maintained at self-balance with approximately 80% heat recovery. The batch sulfidation efficiencies for As(III), Hg(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) removal were over 99.9%, following the solubilities ( K sp ) of the corresponding metal sulfides. CO 2 in the mixed gas produced by CS 2 hydrolysis did not affect heavy metals sulfidation due to the presence of abundant H + . Finally, a pilot-scale experiment successfully demonstrated the practical effects. Therefore, this novel on-site HC-H 2 S production method adequately achieved heavy metals removal requirements in acidic effluents.