Advances in Resources Recovery of H2S: A Review of Desulfurization Processes and Catalysts

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a notorious and lethal gas widely generated in human economic activities and natural occurrences. The growing demand for pollution control makes it vital for the development of efficient processes to remove and convert H2S into high-valued products. As such, diversified technologies have been extensively explored, including H2S splitting, selective oxidation of H2S, and simultaneous conversion of H2S and CO2. In this review, the state-of-the-art processes for H2S conversion and utilization are reviewed. The potentials of various value-added products from H2S utilization, such as H2, syngas, COS, CH3SH, and other sulfur-containing fine chemicals are elucidated in detail. Notably, the traditional and emerging materials for H2S removal, mainly including metal oxide catalysts and carbon-based materials are also overviewed in this review. In addition, the catalytic mechanisms for these desulfurization reactions are also briefly discussed. Lastly, perspectives are given on the viability and technological gaps for each technology and corresponding catalysts.