A review on research and development of iron-based sorbents for removal of hydrogen sulfide from hot coal gases

In poly-generation and integrated gasification-combined cycle (IGCC) systems for clean energy conversion, it is essential to remove impurities such as sulfur species from hot coal gases prior to entering the subsequent units. This paper provides a comprehensive review on previous studies on high temperature removal of hydrogen sulfide from high temperature coal gases using iron-based sorbents. A two-step desulphurization process for hot coal gas cleanup is highlighted, which is integrated with direct production of elemental sulfur during regeneration of iron-based sorbents in the primary desulphurization step. Different kinetic modeling approaches for sulfidation and regeneration were compared. Limited research on activated carbon supported sorbents was also briefly summarized.