Certain impure steams, especially those from geothermal sources, are polluted with hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, other gases, and finely divided particulate solid matter in a form resembling dust or smoke. These contaminants reduce the efficiency of the steam as a heat transfer fluid, are detrimental to equipment utilizing steam as an energy source, and result in environmental pollution or expensive requirements for limiting the same. Herein apparatus is provided wherein so polluted steam is selectively processed in the gaseous state upstream of said equipment to remove hydrogen sulfide therefrom, with or without removing other pollutants, to recover valuable materials therefrom, and to improve the utility of the steam as an energy source. This is done by means for contacting a flow of the steam with aqueous liquid reactant media consisting essentially of one or more reactive compounds of certain metals which form solid metal sulfide reaction products and which preferably are electropositive with respect to hydrogen. Means are provided for separating the processed steam and whereby valuable materials subsequently may be recovered from said media as useful byproducts. Means are also provided whereby reactant compounds may be recycled and may be regenerated from the metal sulfide reaction products.
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