Role of H2O in Oxidation of Spent High-Temperature Desulfurization Sorbent Fe2O3 and CuO in the Presence of O2

To develop an easily regenerable high-temperature desulfurization sorbent, the oxidation of spent Fe 2 O 3 and CuO sorbents in the presence of O 2 and H 2 O was studied: The effect of H 2 O on the oxidation of the spent Fe 2 O 3 and CuO was examined using a temperature-programmed reduction technique and isotopic H 2 18 O. In this study, it was found that H 2 O directly contributed to the oxidation of the spent metal oxides in the presence of O 2 . The oxidation of the spent metal oxides (containing metal sulfide Me x S y ) in the presence of 10% H 2 O and 10% O 2 could be explained by the following two reactions: Me x S y + ( z + 2 y )H 2 O ⇔ Me x O z + SO 2 + ( z + y )H 2 and ( z + 2 y )H 2 + {( z + 2 y )/2}O 2 ⇒ ( z + 2 y )H 2 O.