Removal of hydrogen sulfide from sour water

Abstract From the Canadian patent

Sour water is treated to remove dissolved hydrogen sulfide by means of an aqueous chelated polyvalent metal solution in a continuous recirculating system, particularly an autocirculation system having, reaction and oxygenation zones. The solution contains a small catalytic amount of chelated polyvalent metal and, the dissolved hydrogen sulfide is catalytically oxidized to sulfur in the liquid phase by means of dissolved oxygen in the solution. The sour water feed to the reaction zone is diluted by a massive recycle of oxygenated solution from the oxygenation zone before the sour water is contacted with air or other oxidizing gas used for oxygenating the used solution. A portion of the …