Solutions · By contaminant

Mercaptans (RSH) removal

Wastewater · biogas · refining · paper mills

Also called: thiols, organic sulfur, sewer and refinery odor

How it is removed

Mercaptans are odorous at concentrations far below any health limit, so the bed is sized for odor threshold rather than for mass loading. Virgin re-agglomerated carbon holds them physically; alkaline and metal-oxide impregnation adds a reaction pathway that also captures the hydrogen sulfide almost always present alongside them. Choosing on H₂S capacity alone is the usual mistake — a bed can still pass mercaptans after it stops passing H₂S.

Recommended grades

The specification that decides it Impregnation chemistry, and contact time at the design flow
Test against your own duty Capacity depends on inlet concentration, temperature, humidity, contact time and competing species. Nothing here is an assurance that a grade will perform in your service — it is a starting point for a trial. Trial batches run from 1 to 10 tonnes.