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Catalysts for hydrodesulfurization (HDS)

Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is a key step in hydrogen production and synthesis gas purification, as it protects sensitive downstream catalysts from sulfur poisoning. In hydrogen production processes, desulfurization is essential to ensure long catalyst lifetime and stable plant operation.

In the first desulfurization step, organic sulfur compounds are converted into sulfur-free hydrocarbons using a Co–Mo-based hydrodesulfurization catalyst such as HDMax 200 in the presence of hydrogen (H₂). During this reaction, sulfur is released in the form of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). In the second step, the H₂S is removed by chemisorption on a zinc oxide adsorber, for example ActiSorb S2, according to the reaction:

ZnO + H₂S → ZnS + H₂O

Hydrodesulfurization is also widely applied in synthesis gas purification, particularly for the removal of carbonyl sulfide (COS). In this case, COS is converted in the presence of H₂ to carbon dioxide (CO₂) and H₂S, preventing poisoning of iron-based water–gas shift catalysts such as ShiftMax 120 HCF. The generated H₂S is subsequently captured by the downstream ZnO adsorber, ensuring reliable sulfur removal and stable WGS operation.