Regeneration of hydrogen sulfide absorbent and manufacture of sulfur

Claim 1

A PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING A GASEOUS STREAM CONTAINING HYDROGEN SULFIDE WITH A HYDROGEN SULFIDE ABSORBENT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AN INTIMATE MIXTURE OF AT LEAST ONE ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE AND POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE WITH AT LEAST ONE MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ALKALINE EARTH METAL OXIDES AND HYDROXIDES UNTIL SAID ABSORBENT BECOMES AT LEAST PARTIALLY SPENT; FORMING ON A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE SURFACE OF SAID SPENT ABSORBENT, A THIN LAYER OF A COMBUSTION INITIATOR CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF ABSORBENT IN ITS ACTIVE STATE AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID INITIATOR CONSISTING OF REGENERATED ABSORBENT; INTRODUCING CONCURRENTLY A HYDROGEN SULFIDE-CONTAINING GAS AND AN OXIDIZING GAS THEREFOR SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF AIR AND SULFUR DIOXIDE INTO SAID COMBUSTION INITIATOR LAYER IN AMOUNTS AT LEAST ABOUT SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE A HIGH TEMPERATURE ZONE OF ABOUT 1600 TO 1800* F. TO DEVELOP WITHIN SAID INITIATOR LAVER; DISCONTINUING THE INTRODUCTION OF SAID HYDROGEN SULFIDECONTAINING GAS; AND CONTINUING THE INTRODUCTION OF SAID OXIDIZING GAS THROUGH SAID INITIATOR LAYER AND SAID SPENT ABSORBENT WHEREBY SAID HIGH-TEMPERATURE ZONE TRAVERSES SAID SPENT ABSORBENT AND EFFECTS REGENERATION THEREOF.