Modeling and Experimental Investigation of Sulfurous Compounds Removal from Gas Condensate through Ultrasound-Assisted Oxidative Desulfurization Method.

Abstract

This study employed an ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization process (UAOD) to investigate the degradation of three sulfurous compounds in the synthetic gas condensate. Various parameters, including oxidizers (hydrogen peroxide, sodium peroxide, potassium superoxide), promoters (formic acid, acetic acid), catalysts (phosphotungstic acid, ferrous(II) sulfate, zirconium dioxide, vanadium pentoxide, aluminum oxide γ, copper(II) oxide), and phase transfer agents (isobutanol, tetraoctylammonium bromide, and tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride), were examined to identify the optimal combination for reducing sulfurous compounds in the UAOD process. The influence of the extraction stage and reactor vessel material on the desulfurization efficiency was also investigated. Results revealed that hydrogen peroxide, formic acid, phosphotungstic acid, and isobutyl alcohol were the most effective oxidizers, promoters, catalysts, and phase transfer agents, respectively. Response surface methodology was used to determine the optimal conditions by evaluating different concentrations of these reagents within specific ranges. The study considered ranges such as 10-70 vol % of hydrogen peroxide, 5-70 vol % of formic acid, 1-30 wt % of phosphotungstic acid, 1-30 vol % of isobutanol, and 5-40 min of ultrasonic ripple time. Empirical models were developed for each sulfurous compound type, providing optimal conditions for sulfur removal with an error margin of less than 0.1%. The validity of the suggested models was confirmed through an industrial data analysis. Additionally, it was observed that increasing the number of extraction stages improved desulfurization efficiency, and using a stainless-steel reactor vessel was more suitable than using a glass vessel.