Desulphurization
Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is present in various gas streams such as biogas, sewage gas and landfill gas. Both its corrosive properties and its harmful environmental impact make it necessary to remove it from these gas streams. TS Umweltanlagenbau relies on biological desulphurization for this: bacteria oxidise the pollutants and thus render them harmless.
The biological process developed by TS is particularly well suited for hydrogen sulphide removal because it is:
- Effective
- Selective for H2S
- Low in operating costs
- Low in maintenance effort
- Fully automated
- Individually designed for each specific application
- Converting H2S into environmentally safe oxidation products (fertiliser)
Our desulphurization plants meet the quality requirements of VDI guideline 3478.
Material
- Polypropylene (PP) for vessels, gas pipes and technical containers
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for the circulating liquid
- Galvanised steel / stainless steel for water-carrying pipework, pipe supports and cable trays
Application
Applications include:
- Municipal and industrial sewage treatment plants
- Chemical industry
- Paper industry
- Landfills
- Food industry
- Agriculture
- Biogas plants
Trickle-bed reactors
For biological biogas desulphurization, TS uses trickle-bed reactors (biotrickling filters). In them, the absorption stage and the biological stage are combined in a single unit. Targeted process management and optimised heat and nutrient supply (fertiliser) give them a high specific purification performance.
The reactor is filled with plastic packing elements. Their open structure provides a large surface area in a small volume and lets the gas flow evenly through the bed with a low pressure drop.
From above, the circulating liquid trickles over the packing. A biofilm forms on its surface – a thin, living layer of sulphur-oxidising bacteria. The hydrogen sulphide passes from the gas into the liquid film, where the bacteria oxidise it – to elemental sulphur or to sulphate, depending on the oxygen supply.
The circulating liquid keeps the biofilm moist, supplies the bacteria with nutrients and carries away the oxidation products. Part of it is continuously discharged and replaced with fresh water; the discharged, sulphate-containing liquid can be used as fertiliser.
Process steps
Depending on the requirements for the use of the clean gas, the bacteria are supplied either with ambient air or with concentrated oxygen – for example from an O2 generation plant.
The trickle-bed reactor handles the coarse purification, removing the bulk of the hydrogen sulphide. Where higher requirements apply to the clean gas, a drying stage and an activated carbon filter can be added downstream for fine purification.
If the raw gas contains ammonia (NH3), an acid scrubber may need to be installed upstream of the biological purification.
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