| abstract |
Air containing a pollutant, such as hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide or an organic compound such as a mercaptan, an aldehyde, an amine, an alcohol, and the like, is contacted with a liquid impermeable module or cell having as a surface thereof a liquidimpermeable and gas-permeable membrane and containing an agent which reacts with the pollutant to convert it to one or more innocuous substances, whereby the pollutant passes through the membrane and is reacted with the agent, thus reducing the concentration of the pollutant in the air. The membrane is desirably comprised of an inorganic powder which may serve as an absorbent, preferably powdered activated carbon, dispersed in an inert, hydrophobic polymer such as polytetrafluoroethylene, and the reactive agent is desirably an aqueous solution of an oxidizing agent, preferably hydrogen peroxide. The module is preferably provided with means to regenerate the reactive agent which, in the case of aqueous solutions of oxidizing agents, can be an electrolytic cell in which the spent oxidizing agent is regenerated by electrolytic technique. |