Abstract: In a process for removing hydrogen sulfide from an oxygen-containing gas stream by passing said gas stream through activated carbon, said stream containing from about 5 ppm to about 10,000 ppm by volume, which comprises adding ammonia to said stream prior to its passage through the carbon, improvement in which the amount of added ammonia is such that its concentration will be at least equal to the concentration of the hydrogen sulfide and not greater than 10,000 ppm with the proviso that when the concentration of hydrogen sulfide exceeds 4,000 ppm by volume, the concentration of the ammonia will not be greater than 6,000 ppm by volume.