Method for maintaining high level of activity for supported manganese oxide acceptors for hydrogen sulfide

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS EMPLOYING SOLID ACCEPTORS FOR HYDROGEN SULFIDE COMPRISING MANGANESE OXIDE IMPRIGNATED ON AN INERT SUPPORT FOR ABSORBING HYDROGEN SULFIDE AT TEMPERATURES ABOVE ABOUT 1100*F. TO FORM MANGANESE SULFIDE, FOLLOWED BY OXIDIZING THE MANGANESE SULFIDE TO MANGANESE OXIDE BY REACTION WITH OXYGEN AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES ABOVE ABOUT 1300*F., WHEREIN THE ACCEPTORS SUFFER A DECREASE IN H2S-ABSORBING ACTIVITY FOLLOWING SAID OXIDIZING, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH MINIMIZES LOSS OF THE ACCEPTORS'' ACTIVITY UNDER H2S-ABSORBING CONDITIONS, COMPRISING INTIMATELY CONTACTING A MINOR PORTION OF THE MANGANESE SULFIDE-CONTAINING SULFIDED ACCEPTORS WITH EXCESS OXYGEN AT A TEMPERATURE OF 100 TO 1600*F., CONVERTING THEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE CONTACTED MANGANESE SULFIDE TO HIGHER OXIDES OF MANGANESE AND THEREAFTER RECOVERING THE THUS-TREATED ACCEPTORS CONTAINING HIGHER OXIDES OF MANGANESE REDUCIBLE TO MANGANESE OXIDE HAVING AN INCREASED H2-S-ABSORBING ACTIVITY.