Phillips Petroleum Company

Edward E Huxley

Martin E Nash

Bruce W Gordon

Inhibition of the formation of color bodies and color-forming materials and other contaminants and/or decolorization of discolored sulfur-containing organic compounds containing divalent sulfur by addition of a small amount of oxalic acid.

Decolorization treatment

Sulfur-containing esters, such as dimethyldithiodipropionate, are excellent solvents for hydrogen sulfide and can be used for the purification of gas streams containing hydrogen sulfide. The obtained solution can be stored and used as H.sub.2 S source.

Hydrogen sulfide removal with sulfur-containing esters

Prior to hydrogenation to produce sulfolane, a sulfolene feed containing sulfur-containing catalyst poisons is contacted with used and/or at least partially spent Raney nickel catalyst under conditions which substantially remove and/or render innocuous the catalyst poisons. The pretreatment removes sulfur dioxide and polymeric sulfones from the sulfolene which would otherwise contaminate and deactivate the fresh catalyst employed in the hydrogenation.

Sulfolene hydrogenation

A process for converting sulfolene compounds to sulfolane compounds comprising contacting at least one sulfolene compound with hydrogen in the presence of a metal hydrogenation catalyst and an effective amount of ammonia as an SO.sub.2 neutralizer or scavenger. The addition of ammonia increases conversion of sulfolene to sulfolane, improves product color, and reduces polymer formation during hydrogenation. In a preferred embodiment, the ammonia is admixed with the hydrogen prior to contacting with the sulfolene compound.

Growing community of inventors

Borger, TX, United States of America

Edward E Huxley