Wang, Hui2013-01-032013-01-032011-112011-12-21November 2http://hdl.handle.net/10388/ETD-2011-11-231A chemical splitting cycle of H2S to produce H2 for sustainable oil sands bitumen upgrading was recently developed, in which the second reaction, Bunsen reaction, is the link with the other two reactions. With the involvement of organic solvents such as toluene, it is hoped that the reaction will be able to occur without transportation difficulty at room temperature such that side reactions, corrosion and iodine deposition can be effectively mitigated or minimized. The apparent kinetics of the Bunsen reaction is studied in the presence of toluene in a fixed-volume, batch reactor and using the initial rate analysis method. The system includes gas, oil and water phases where reaction and mass transfer coexist. The apparent rate was measured by SO2 pressure drop vs. time. In this research project, the effects of SO2 initial partial pressure from 49.6 kPa to 122.7 kPa and iodine concentration in toluene from 0.045 to 0.235 mol/L on initial reaction rate are reported. The reaction rate is found to be the first order with respect to SO2 and I2, respectively. The results of temperature effect show that the reaction followed the Arrhenius equation with an activation energy of 6.02 kJ/mol. The effects of operating conditions on reaction rate including water/toluene volume ratio and stirring speed are also investigated. The study concludes that the rate-limiting step of the Bunsen reaction in the presence of toluene is the SO2 dissolving in the liquid phases.engsplitting cycle, Bunsen reaction, Kineticstext