Paper: Crude Oil Sweetening with a Novel Selective Alkanolamine

Hydrogen sulfide gas is present in much of the crude oil and natural gas production throughout the world. This creates quite a problem for today's producers, in that the hydrogen sulfide is both poisonous and very corrosive. In the past, the need to reduce hydrogen sulfide (Has) by "sweetening" was born more of necessity than environmental good intentions. The high toxicity of H2S simply made it imperative. It is only in recent years that scientists have discovered that these gases also contribute to acid rain and the destruction of our irreplaceable ozone layer. Now, with the addition of these serious environmental implications, the issue of sweetening produced oil, gas, and water containing H2S has taken on an even greater importance. Unfortunately, addressing this environmental responsibility is further complicated by old gas sweetening techniques that have traditionally forced you to accept certain compromises in efficiency, cost of production, and even the quality of your end product. Many of these methods of H2S removal involve the use of heavy metals and known carcinogens that result in a waste product which is hazardous to man and the environment, as well as having the requirement of being disposed of at an EPA approved disposal site. In addition, these methods are known to be non-selective in their removal of H2S, also combining with large quantities of carbon dioxide, compromising the quality of your finished product. Essentially, wasting product by removing carbon dioxide from your production rather than simply getting the H2S out.