Patent ID: 7722852

Claim:
A thermal reduction process for the production of sulfur from sulfur dioxide (SO 2 )-containing effluent streams, the process comprising: combining a sulfur dioxide-containing effluent stream with an oxygen-containing gas stream comprising oxygen in a first preheater to elevate the temperature of the gaseous mixture to a temperature ranging from about 500° C. to about 650° C.; heating a hydrocarbon gas stream in a second preheater to a temperature ranging from about 500° C. to about 650° C.; concurrently contacting an oxygen-containing gas stream with the sulfur dioxide-containing effluent gas stream and the hydrocarbon gas stream in a single, primary reaction furnace for a period of time sufficient to produce a reducing gas effluent stream comprising hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) and hydrogen gas; contacting the reducing gas effluent stream from the reaction furnace with an activated catalyst in a first reaction zone comprising a catalyst system at a temperature effective for the reaction between hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide to generate a product gas stream comprising elemental sulfur and water by way of the Claus reaction; further contacting the effluent gas stream from the first reaction zone with one or more additional catalytic reaction zones comprising one or more additional catalysts; and recovering the elemental sulfur from the product gas stream.