Abstract: A hydrocarbon stream is washed with caustic solution to reactively remove hydrogen sulfide and produce a spent caustic solution containing sulfide reaction products. The spent caustic solution is stripped with concentrated carbon dioxide to reactively remove the sulfides and produce an overhead hydrogen sulfide stream and a bicarbonate-containing bottoms stream. The hydrogen sulfide stream can be converted to elemental sulfur in a Claus unit or to sulfuric acid in a sulfuric acid plant. The bicarbonate solution can be washed with liquid hydrocarbon to remove mercaptans and phenols in further preparation for disposal.