Selective catalytic oxidation of H2S over V2O5 supported on TiO2-pillared clay catalysts in the presence of water and ammonia

This study focuses on the selective catalytic oxidation of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) over vanadia supported on TiO2-pillared clay catalysts (V/Ti-PILCs) in the presence of ammonia and water. The synthesized V/Ti-PILC catalysts were characterized by chemical analysis, surface area/pore volume measurements, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis-DRS), temperature-programmed reduction by H2 (H2-TPR), and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The results of a catalytic performance study showed that in the presence of the V/Ti-PILC catalysts, H2S was successfully converted into elemental sulfur and ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) without any notable sulfur dioxide emission. This superior performance of the V/Ti-PILC catalysts was probably related to the uniform dispersion of the vanadia species on the Ti-PILC support.

Research highlights
► Synthesis of vanadia-supported on TiO2-pillared clay catalysts (V/Ti-PILCs) for the selective catalytic oxidation of H2S.
► Catalytic study was carried out in the presence of water vapor and ammonia.
► Most of the H2S was converted into elemental sulfur and ammonium thiosulfate.