ALLOY MATERIALS AND RELATED METHODS FOR PROCESSING HYDROGEN SULFIDE

1 . A method comprising:

providing a multi-metal composition comprising an alloy comprising at least five elements selected from the group consisting of Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Al, Mg, Cu, Zn, Zr, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, W, Re, Ir, Pt, Pd, Au, Ce, Yb, Sn, Ca, Be, Mo, V, W, and Sr; and

interacting a gas stream comprising hydrogen sulfide with the multi-metal composition.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas stream consists essentially of hydrogen sulfide.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the chemical products of the interacting step comprise hydrogen and sulfur.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising condensing the sulfur.

5 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising separating the hydrogen.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the alloy further comprises sulfur.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the gas stream comprises natural gas, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxygen, nitrogen, or water.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the product of the interacting step comprises hydrogen and a higher metal sulfide alloy sulfide.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the gas stream further comprises CO 2 and hydrocarbons and the CO 2 is separated from the hydrocarbons and hydrogen.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-metal composition is disposed on at least one column, the interacting step comprises the alloy undergoing sulfidation, and the method further comprises heating the column to remove at least some sulfur from the alloy.

11 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the multi-metal composition is disposed on at least one column, the interacting step comprises the alloy undergoing sulfidation, and the method further comprises heating the column to remove at least some sulfur from the alloy.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least five elements are Cr, Fe, W, Ni, and Mo; Cr, Fe, Zn, Ti, and Mo; Mo, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Co; or Cr, Fe, Ni, V, and Mo.

13 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least five elements are Cu, Fe, Ni, V, and Mo.

14 . A method comprising:

providing a multi-metal composition comprising CrFeWNiMo, CrFeZnTiMo, MoNiCuZnCo, CrFeNiVMo, or CuFeNiVMo sulfide; and

interacting a gas stream comprising hydrogen sulfide with the multi-metal composition.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the multi-metal composition further comprises at least one support or at least one promoter.

16 . A multi-metal composition comprising:

an alloy comprising at least five elements selected from the group consisting of Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Al, Mg, Cu, Zn, Zr, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, W, Re, Ir, Pt, Pd, Au, Ce, Yb, Sn, Ca, Be, Mo, V, W, and Sr.

17 . The composition of claim 16 , wherein the alloy further comprises at least one metal support or at least one metal promoter.

18 . The composition of claim 16 , further comprising at least one support or at least one promoter and wherein the composition is in the form factor of a mixture of the alloy and the at least one support or the at least one promoter.

19 . The composition of claim 17 , wherein the alloy comprises from about 0.1 atomic % to about 20 atomic % metal supporter or from about 0.1 atomic % to about 20 atomic % metal promoter.

20 . The composition of claim 16 , wherein the at least five elements are Cr, Fe, W, Ni, and Mo; Cr, Fe, Zn, Ti, and Mo; Mo, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Co; Cr, Fe, Ni, V, and Mo; or Cu, Fe, Ni, V, and Mo.