Selectivity and Stability Enhancement of Iron Oxide Catalyst by Ceria Incorporation for Selective Oxidation of H2S to Sulfur

Abstract

Cerium incorporated iron oxide catalysts and a pure iron oxide catalytic material were prepared by the complexation technique and their catalytic performances were investigated for selective oxidation of H2S to elemental sulfur in a fixed-bed flow reactor. Ce−Fe mixed oxide catalyst having a Fe/Ce ratio of 1/1 (2Fe−2Ce) showed complete conversion and very high sulfur selectivity in the temperature range of 200−300 °C. Sulfur selectivity and stability of iron oxide catalyst was significantly enhanced by the incorporation of cerium into the catalyst structure. It was concluded that incorporation of ceria into the catalyst structure significantly improved the redox ability of the catalyst.