A process for removing at least a
sulfur containing compound from gas containing at least one
sulfur containing compound, wherein the process comprises the following steps: a) contacting a gas
stream containing at least one
sulfur containing compound with a
stream containing
bromine and water so as to obtain a starting
stream, b) reacting the starting stream provided in step a) so as to produce a reaction mixture
effluent comprising
sulfuric acid and
hydrogen bromide, c) separating the reaction mixture
effluent obtained in step b) into one or more
hydrogen bromide enriched compositions and into one or more
sulfuric acid enriched compositions, d) subjecting at least a portion of the at least one
hydrogen bromide enriched composition obtained in step c) to a treatment, in which at least a portion of the
hydrogen bromide enriched composition is converted to
bromine, e) recycling at least a portion of the
bromine containing composition obtained in step d) back to step a), and f) withdrawing gas, which is depleted in the at least one
sulfur containing compound wherein step c) comprises at least one
distillation step, wherein, in the case that the reaction mixture is a single-phase
liquid composition, either the reaction mixture
effluent or a mixture of the reaction mixture effluent and a
sulfuric acid enriched composition obtained in step c) is subjected as feed to a first
distillation step, or, in the case that the reaction mixture effluent is a two-phase gas- /
liquid composition, first the two-phase gas- /
liquid composition is separated into a gaseous portion of the reaction mixture effluent and into a liquid portion of the reaction mixture effluent, whereafter the liquid portion of the reaction mixture effluent or a mixture of the liquid portion of the reaction mixture effluent and a sulfuric acid enriched composition obtained in step c) is subjected as feed to a first
distillation step, wherein the feed is separated in the first distillation step into a gaseous overhead composition of a
hydrogen bromide enriched composition containing at most 1,000 ppm of sulfuric acid and into a liquid bottom composition of a sulfuric acid enriched composition containing more than 30% by weight of sulfuric acid and less than 1,000 ppm of
hydrogen bromide, wherein a) at least a portion of the
gaseous hydrogen bromide enriched composition obtained in the first distillation step as overhead composition is subjected to a water removal step so as to separate the hydrogen bromide enriched composition into a water enriched composition and into a
gaseous hydrogen bromide-rich, water depleted composition comprising 90 to 99% by weight of hydrogen bromide and less than 10% by weight of water, wherein at least a portion of the
gaseous hydrogen bromide-rich, water depleted composition is subjected in step d) to an
electrolysis or to a
thermal oxidation step, and / or P) step c) comprises at least two distillation steps, wherein the sulfuric acid enriched composition obtained as liquid bottom composition of the first distillation step is subjected to a second distillation step so as to produce an overhead composition and a bottom composition containing 60 to 95% by weight of sulfuric acid and 5 to 40% by weight of
water based on the total weight of the bottom composition, wherein at least a portion of the bottom composition of the second distillation step is preferably subjected to a third distillation step so as to produce an overhead composition containing at least 99.0% by weight of water and less than 10 ppm of hydrogen bromine and a bottom composition containing at least 90% by weight of sulfuric acid and less than 10% by weight of
water based on the total weight of the bottom composition, wherein a portion of the bottom composition obtained in the second distillation step and / or a portion of the bottom composition obtained in the third distillation step is recycled to and mixed as sulfuric acid enriched composition with the reaction mixture effluent or with the liquid portion of the reaction mixture effluent so as to obtain a mixture containing at least 35% by weight of sulfuric acid based on the total weight of the mixture, wherein the mixture is subjected as feed to the first distillation step.