Hydrogen sulfide is a very toxic gas that is emitted by some industrial processes. It needs to be converted to less harmful compounds to avoid health risks and environmental pollution. The selective oxidation to elemental sulfur and water is a promising approach to solving this problem.

Xinchen Wang, Lilong Jiang, Fuzhou University, China, and colleagues have developed a catalyst for this process that is based on an ultrathin carbon nitride nanomesh. The team synthesized the mesh by a thermal polymerization of trithiocyanuric acid in air at 500–600 °C. Adsorption–desorption measurements show that the resulting mesh has a mesoporous structure and a high surface area.

The catalyst shows excellent activity, with an H₂S conversion of 100 % at 210 °C, with a high sulfur selectivity. In addition, the nanomesh material retains its activity better than commonly used carbon- and iron-based catalysts. According to the researchers, the system could be a promising inexpensive and sustainable heterogeneous catalyst for H₂S removal.

• Polymeric carbon nitride nanomesh as an efficient and durable metal-free catalyst for oxidative desulfurization,
  Lijuan Shen, Ganchang Lei, Yuanxing Fang, Yanning Cao, Xinchen Wang, Lilong Jiang,
  Chem. Commun. 2018.
  https://doi.org/10.1039/c7cc09211c