Abstract: Claus process sulfur recovery can be improved by performing a Claus conversion under low temperature and low water concentration conditions. The process treats a feed stream containing sulfur compounds by conversion of all sulfur components to hydrogen sulfide, water removal to low water concentrations, creation of a Claus reaction mixture, and then low temperature catalytic conversion to sulfur and water.

Abstract: An improved method for further removal of sulfur from the tail gas of a conventional Claus plant by the use of a Cold Bed Adsorption process involving the specific improvement of maintaining at all times the lead Claus reactor of a series of such reactors at sufficiently high temperatures to promote hydrolysis of COS and CS.sub.2 and then utilizing part or all of the hot effluent gases of this lead reactor to regenerate the sulfur-fouled Cold Bed Adsorption catalyst by passing the hot stream through the fouled reactor, removing the deposited sulfur and then returning the stream to the Claus plant at a point essentially immediately downstream from where it was originally withdrawn. Such a method is useful in maintaining ultra-high sulfur conversion levels on a commercial scale.