Patent ID: 7326397

Claim:
A process of sweetening a light hydrocarbon feed gas stream containing at least one C 1 -C 5 hydrocarbon component and an H 2 S component, the process comprising: at a temperature above about 500° C., at a molar ratio of H 2 S to O 2 in the range of about 2:1 to about 5:1, and in the presence of a H 2 S-selective catalyst comprising Pt, Rh, Ir, Sn, and Mg, partially oxidizing the H 2 S component in said light hydrocarbon feed gas stream to form elemental sulfur and water without converting more than about 10 mole % of the carbon content of said light hydrocarbon component to CO or CO 2 ; recovering unreacted light hydrocarbon; and recovering liquid sulfur.