Recent progress in electrochemical decomposition of hydrogen sulfide for sulfur recovery and hydrogen production
Yanjun Chen, Ming Wen, Tong Ding, Rui Fan, Qisong Liu, Zongshe Liu, Zicheng Peng
Abstract
Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) generated by industrial processes (such as petroleum refining, natural gas purification, and coal processing) is a highly toxic and corrosive gas, which is detrimental to human health and environment. Electrocatalytic decomposition of H 2 S for simultaneous desulfurization and hydrogen production has emerged as a promising approach to addressing environmental pollution whilst achieving valuable utilization of H 2 S. Currently, there are two pathways for electrochemical decomposition of H 2 S, namely, direct and indirect decomposition. For the direct pathway, H 2 S is electrocatalytically oxidized into sulfur at anode using electrocatalysts. However, this approach is hindered by electrocatalyst deactivation due to sulfur passivation. Conversely, the indirect pathway effectively prevents the anodic sulfur passivation by introducing soluble redox couples as mediators, transferring H 2 S oxidation reaction from electrode to liquid phase. In this regard, the selection of redox mediators is critical since it affects H 2 S oxidation efficiency, sulfur purity, and overall decomposition voltage. In light of the challenges associated with above-mentioned electrochemical H 2 S decomposition techniques, this review presents recent advancements in strategies to mitigate anodic sulfur passivation for direct decomposition method, as well as the development of redox mediators and process optimization for indirect decomposition method. Meanwhile, a comparative analysis of characteristic and reaction mechanism of both approaches is provided. Finally, perspectives are given on the current challenges and future research directions in the field of electrocatalytic H 2 S splitting technology.