Diffusion of hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan onto microporous alkaline activated carbon

Abstract

Activated carbon kinetic studies show that both H 2S and CH 3SH yielded pore diffusion coefficients from 10 −6 to 10 −8 cm 2/s. Results indicated that pore structures could influence effective diffusivity. Under the same adsorbate concentration, CH 3SH exhibited a greater effective pore diffusion coefficient than H 2S. This may be attributed to the fact that CH 3SH has both polar (–SH) and non-polar (–CH 3) functional groups and dissolves into water easier, thus providing more attraction for the activated carbon surface. In addition, the saturation vapor pressure of CH 3SH is lower than that of H 2S. Therefore, CH 3SH is easier to adsorb onto activated carbon than H 2S.