Patent ID: 7628966

Claim:
A method for removing hydrogen sulfide gas from a stream of natural gas, comprising the following steps: (a) providing a column having an inlet at the base of said column and an outlet at the upper end of said column, (b) charging said column with a scavenging agent including a group IIA metal hydroxide, (c) introducing hydrogen sulfide laden natural gas into said inlet, (d) receiving natural gas from said outlet having a lower concentration of hydrogen sulfide than the natural gas entering said inlet, (e) sampling the natural gas leaving said column to determine the concentration of hydrogen sulfide, and, (f) removing used scavenging agent from said column and replacing said used scavenging agent with fresh scavenging agent if the concentration of hydrogen of sulfide gas in said natural gas leaving said column is above a predetermined level and continuing such replacement of used scavenging agent with fresh scavenging agent until the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in said natural gas leaving said column falls below a predetermined level.