Carbonyl sulfide removal from refinery tail-gas streams: Experimental and kinetic study of the hydrolysis reaction

•COS hydrolysis is a challenging new frontier in desulfurization technologies.•The presence of CO2 and water typical of refinery tail-gas streams inhibits the hydrolysis.•The reaction limitation are ascribable to competitive adsorption phenomena.•Different adsorption mechanisms interest the species in the COS hydrolysis system.•A model with a good predictivity is a powerful tool toward the industrialization.