Properties and mechanism for sorption of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) by cupola dust, which is formed by the solidification of gas exhausted from cupola furnaces, have been investigated through the characterizations, aiming at recycling as the desulfurization. From the results, the sorptive property was found to be induced by spinel-type crystals such as (MnxZn1-x)(MnyFe1-y)(2)O-4 solid solutions in spherical matrixes comprising of amorphous SiO2 at room temperature in existence of water vapor. The further examination on the spinel-type crystals extracted by NaOH treatments revealed that H2S was dissolved in water adsorbed on the surface of the spinel-type crystals, and reacted with metal ions released from them. In addition, the H2S sorptive property was indicated to depend on amounts of Mn and Zn in the spinel-type crystals. (c) 2006 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.