Sorbent compositions

Abstract

A process for removing hydrogen sulfide from a fluid stream by contacting a hydrogen sulfide-containing stream with a sorbent composition wherein said sorbent composition is produced by mixing at least one zinc component which is zinc oxide or a compound convertible to zinc oxide, at least one silica component where the silica component comprises silica or a compound convertible to silica, at least one colloidal metal oxide, and optionally at least one pore generator component so as to form a mixture, extruding the mixture, sphering the resulting extrudate to form spherical particles having a size of form about 0.5 to about 15 millimeters drying the resulting spherical particles, calcining the dried particles, steaming the resulting calcined particles, sulfiding the steamed particles by contacting them with sulfides or sulfur at a temperature of about 200° C. to 1400° C. and subjecting the sulfided particles to a temperature sufficient to bum off substantially all of the sulfur on the sulfided particle so as to provide a sorbent composition having improved attrition and crush strength and which is then useful for the desulfurization of hydrogen sulfide-containing fluid stream.