Chemisorption of hydrogen sulphide on zinc oxide modified aluminum-substituted SBA-15

Aluminum silicate mesoporous material, ZnO/Al–SBA-15, was synthesized by post-synthesis and immobilization method via microwave-assisted route. Desulphurization tests from a gas mixture with low content H2S were carried out as the probing reaction on these materials. Chemical effects and the nature of the ZnO additive and textural properties on desulphurization capacity were studied over this material. Material was characterized using N2 adsorption, XRD, TEM, FTIR, XPS, ICP and other techniques. The analysis suggests that the as-synthesized material had well-ordered hexagonal mesopores and was abundant in micropores. ZnO nanoparticles dispersed well and anchored both in the channel and the wall of mesoporous silica. The material with 2.1 wt.% zinc loading presented the highest H2S uptake capacity. Both micropores and mesopores are active sites for H2S capture, especially micropores. The enhancement of H2S removal capacity was attributed to the integration of the pore structure of mesoporous material and the promising desulphurization properties of ZnO nanoparticles. ZnO/Al–SBA-15 could be an effective alternative to remove H2S from gaseous streams and it also extends the research of mesoporous material.