Appeal No. 1998-3189
Application No. 08/763,352
21. A method of removing contaminating hydrogen
sulfide from a flowing gas stream of natural gas or a
flowing gas stream derived from petroleum or from natural
gas and producing a product stream consisting essentially
of the gas stream, elemental sulfur and water,
comprising:
(1) contacting the contaminated gas stream with a
liquid sulfuric acid aqueous medium having a selectable
sulfuric acid content of between 80% and 96% by weight;
(2) reacting the hydrogen sulfide with the liquid
sulfuric acid aqueous medium at a selectable temperature
between 120 C and 150 C; ando o
(3) controlling both the sulfuric acid content of
the aqueous medium and the reaction temperature such that
the hydrogen sulfide is reacted to essentially water and
elemental sulfur.
The prior art references relied upon by the examiner are:
Maddox, Jr. et al. (Maddox) 3,849,540 Nov. 19, 1974
Torrence et al. (Torrence) 3,917,799 Nov. 4, 1975
Mellor, A Comprehensive Treatise on Inorganic and Theoretical
Chemistry, Vol. X, p. 142 (London, Longmans, Green and Co.,
1947).
Claims 34, 35 and 36 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. §
112, first paragraph, as lacking descriptive support in the
application disclosure as originally filed. Claims 21 through
37 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over
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