Utilization of impure steam with extraction of one or more contaminants

Abstract

Certain impure steams, especially those from geothermal sources, are polluted with hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, other gases, and finely divided particulate solid matter in a form resembling dust or smoke. These contaminants reduce the efficiency of the steam as a heat transfer fluid, are detrimental to equipment utilizing steam as an energy source, and result in environmental pollution or expensive requirements for limiting the same. Herein so polluted steam is selectively processed in the gaseous state to remove hydrogen sulfide therefrom, with or without removing other pollutants, to recover valuable materials therefrom, and to improve the utility of the steam as an energy source. This is done by contacting a flow of the steam with aqueous liquid reactant media comprising one or more reactive compounds of certain metals electropositive with respect to hydrogen. The valuable materials subsequently may be recovered from said media as useful byproducts. The reactant compounds may be recycled.