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Mitigation of hazardous ammonia and hydrogen sulphide emissions using carbon based nanometal oxides adsorbents

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Abstract

Carbon based nano TiO2-ZnO composite adsorbents were developed and evaluated for simultaneous adsorption of ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Screening of composites with different ZnO and TiO2 loadings in terms of adsorption capacities identified a composite with 10% ZnO and 5% TiO2 (10ZnO-5TiO2-AC) as the most suitable. Breakthrough experiments with pre-mixed gases containing 50 to 550 mg L− 1 of each NH3 and H2S at 22 to 280 °C showed that increase in NH3 and H2S concentrations led to higher equilibrium adsorption capacities for both gases. Increase of temperature decreased NH3 equilibrium adsorption capacity but for H2S higher values were observed at higher temperatures. The highest equilibrium adsorption capacity of 5.71 mg NH3 g− 1 was obtained with a mixture of 500 ppmv NH3 and 550 ppmv H2S at 22 °C, while for H2S the highest value of 29.64 mg H2S g− 1 was seen with a mixture of 300 ppmv NH3 and 300 ppmv H2S at 280 °C. Multicomponent Langmuir isotherm described the simultaneous adsorption of NH3 and H2S with the high level of accuracy. The negative value of enthalpy of adsorption for NH3 confirmed the exothermic and potentially physical nature of ammonia adsorption, while a positive value for H2S adsorption pointed out to the endothermic and chemisorption nature of this process. Examination of fresh and exposed composite adsorbents by XRD and FTIR confirmed the chemical nature of H2S adsorption.

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Acknowledgements

This work was made possible by an Agriculture Development Fund grant (ADF 20140246) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Saskatchewan. Technical assistance of R. Blondin, and R. Prokopishyn from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan is gratefully acknowledged.

Funding

Agriculture Development Fund grant (ADF 20140246), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Saskatchewan, Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A9, Canada

    Guadalupe Montserrat Valdes Labrada, Ruth Azar & Mehdi Nemati

  2. Prairie Swine Centre Inc, 2105–8th St. E, P.O. Box 21057, Saskatoon, SK, S7H 5N9, Canada

    Bernardo Predicala

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  1. Guadalupe Montserrat Valdes Labrada
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Contributions

Guadalupe Montserrat Valdes Labrada: Methodology, Investigation, Data interpretation and validation. Ruth Azar: Methodology, Investigation, Data interpretation and validation.Bernardo Predicala: Conceptualization, Methodology, Co-supervision. Mehdi Nemati: Conceptualization, Methodology, Co-supervision, Research management, Writing-first draft, revisions, submission, and correspondence. All authors contributed in writing the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mehdi Nemati.

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Labrada, G.M.V., Azar, R., Predicala, B. et al. Mitigation of hazardous ammonia and hydrogen sulphide emissions using carbon based nanometal oxides adsorbents. Adsorption (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-024-00474-7

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