Patent · US Expired

Process for removing sulfur compounds from gas and liquid hydrocarbon streams

US6531103B1 · kind B1 · utility

17Cited by
14References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 9, 2000
Grant dateMar 11, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 9, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
  • CPC primaryC10L3/10
  • WIPO fieldBasic materials chemistry
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for removing sulfur compounds including sulfur in the (−2) oxidation state such as mercaptans, dialkyl sulfides, carbonyl sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, thiophenes and benzothiophenes, from liquid or gas feed streams, particularly hydrocarbon feed streams such as, for example, natural gas and refinery process streams. According to the process, such a feed stream including these sulfur impurities is contacted with an absorbent which includes a metal ion-containing organic composition such as, for example, iron, copper, lead, nickel, tin, zinc or mercury cation-containing phthalocyanine or porphyrin to thereby form sulfur-metal cation coordination complexes in which the oxidation state of the sulfur and the metal cation remains essentially unchanged. The complexes are separated from the feed stream, and the absorbent is regenerated by disassociating the sulfur compound from the complexes.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.