Hydrogen Sulfide Removal Using Diatomite.

Biogas produced from biomass is a form of clean and renewable energy. However, it is not as pure as a natural gas and requires a series of purification steps before it can be commercialized. Among the impurities of biogas, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is one of the most toxic and corrosive elements. H2 should be removed to reduce its impact on the quality of methane gas produced. Hence, in this study, the feasibility of using diatomite to remove H2 from the biogas was studied using adsorption technique. Raw and treated diatomite was tested for its capability of adsorbing H2. The treated diatomite was prepared by washing the diatomite with water at a various temperature and sulphuric acid at different concentration. Characterization was carried out using SEM, XRD, and FTIR to understand the removal process and adsorption mechanisms. It was found that raw diatomite has very low adsorption capacity (0.18 mg/g). Water treated diatomite shows higher adsorption capacity (3.82 mg/g) compared to raw diatomite, whereas the highest capacity was recorded by 5M acid treated diatomite (6.87 mg/g). From the characterization, it was found that the acid treated diatomite has more refined surface area and functional groups compared to the raw and water treated diatomite, which makes it a better adsorbent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]