Patent ID: 7901655

Claim:
A process, comprising: supplying a feed gas stream, wherein said feed gas stream comprises a feed gas H2S concentration of H2S in the range of from 0.5 to 50 vol %, an inert liquid medium, and molecular oxygen in an amount so as to provide a molar ratio of oxygen-to-H 2 S in the range of from 0.3 to 3.0, to a reaction zone containing an oxidation catalyst comprising an oxide compound or a sulfide compound, or both, of one or more metals having the approximate general formula of MS x-1 O y , wherein M is a metal selected from the group consisting of vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, molybdenum, or a combination thereof, and wherein S is sulfur, and wherein x and y have, independently, a numeric value of at least 1, wherein said reaction zone is operated under reaction conditions including a gaseous hourly space velocity in the range of from 100 to 10,000 Nl/kg/hr; a temperature in the range of from 120° C. to 160° C.; and a pressure in the range of from 2 to 200 bara so as to form elemental sulfur; yielding from said reaction zone an effluent comprising said gas stream depleted of H 2 S, elemental sulfur, and said inert liquid medium; separating said effluent into a liquid stream and a gas stream depleted of H 2 S; separating said liquid stream into a first liquid phase enriched in said inert liquid medium and a second liquid phase enriched in elemental sulphur; and combusting at least part of said second liquid phase to form a fluid stream comprising sulfur dioxide.