An efficient absorbent of hydrogen sulfide for hot gas cleaning was developed. In order to increase the efficiency of the absorbent, activated carbon-supported ferrite was prepared and the absorption behavior of the absorbent was examined using a fixed-bed reactor and a thermogravimetric balance. Activated carbon-supported ferrites could be prepared at a much lower calcination temperature (400degreesC) than the typical preparation temperature of ca. 1000degreesC for a dry process, These ferrites have high surface areas up to 663 m(2)/g. Breakthrough behavior was obtained with a fixed-bed flow reactor, with almost complete absorption of hydrogen sulfide from 5000 ppm to nearly zero level being achieved at an absorption temperature of 400degreesC. The results obtained with a thermogravimetric balance indicated that the initial hydrogen sulfide absorption rate of the activated carbon-supported ferrite was about ten times higher than that of the ferrite prepared by the dry process. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.