Zn-Mn based sorbents supported on SiO2, gamma-Al2O3 and ZrO2, prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method with calcination at 973 K were investigated for the removal of H2S from coal derived gas, at the temperature ranges of 773-973 K. Results reveal that the SiO2 and ZrO2 supports exhibit the better performance because better removal efficiency. The addition of manganese effectually improves the vaporization of zinc. In addition, some operating parameters were also considered in order to understand as well as screen the suitable conditions for the development of Zn-Mn based sorbents on the removal of H2S. Over 98% sorbent utilization was established for the use Of SiO2 at 873 K. On the other hand, within the 5-15 wt% of Zn-Mn oxides, no significant change in the sorbent utilization was observed. Up to 30 wt% the sorbent utilization decreased slightly compared to lower contents, which may be attributed to the deficient dispersion. With increasing the H-2 concentration, the sorbent utilization decreases and an adverse result is observed in the case of increasing CO concentration. The relationship between CO and H-2 could be explained via the water-gas shift reaction. Moreover, the apparent activation energy and frequency factor as well as the predicted results were studied with a deactivation model. The results of regression fitting reveal the accurate prediction breakthrough behaviors for the removal of H2S. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.