Process, method, and system for removing mercury from fluids

摘要

Trace levels of mercury in a natural gas are reduced by scrubbing the natural gas in an absorber with an aqueous solution comprising a water-soluble sulfur compound. The water- soluble sulfur compound reacts with a least a portion of the mercury in the natural gas to produce a treated natural gas with a reduced concentration of mercury, and a mercury containing sulfur-depleted solution which can be disposed by injection into a (depleted) underground formation. The produced water extracted with the natural gas from the underground formation can be recycled for use as the scrubbing solution. In one embodiment, a fresh source of water-soluble sulfur compound as feed to the absorber can be generated on-site by reacting an elemental sulfur source with a sulfur reagent in produced water.