Industrial Manufacturing of Aqueous Solutions of Sodium Sulfhydrate (NaHS 43%) in a Multi-Phase Reactor

This research deals with the manufacture of sodium sulphides and sodium sulfhydrate in an isothermal multiphase chemical reactor to produce concentrated aqueous solutions of sodium sulfhydrate (greater than 43%) through Gas-Liquid-Solid reactions from hydrogen sulfide and hydroxide of sodium at 50%.

A method is proposed that integrates the recovery of hydrogen sulfide from an industrial chemical process where the H₂S gas is generated as a sub product, the strategy of the developed process was integrated into a manufacturing plant of dithiophosphoric acids (ADTF) where it was possible to recover the hydrogen sulfide in the form of an aqueous solution of NaHS with a concentration higher than 43%.

The experimental tests showed that the biphasic reaction mixture formed by Na₂S, NaHS and H₂O with global compositions of 13.3%; 26.9% and 59.7% respectively, is appropriate to obtain 43% sodium sulfhydrate in a stirred tank reactor, operated at temperatures ranging from 50°C to 55°C, where gaseous hydrogen sulfide is continually bubbled.

Sodium sulfide (specifically Na₂S.5H₂O crystals) of the biphasic mixture is produced from a solution of sodium sulfhydrate (43% NaHS) and aqueous sodium hydroxide (50% NaOH). The environmental problem generated by the H₂S was solved with a 90% recovery in the multiphase reactor and 5% in the safety absorber.