Uses of sulfuric acid

With 285 million t/a, produced sulphuric acid in 2022 ,H2SO4 is one of the most produced chemicals in the world. Assuming a world population of 8 billion people, this amounts to 35 kg/a per capita with large variations for each country.(eg. in Europe 450 kg/a per capita in Finland vs. 20 kg/a per capita in Italy )

Most people (fortunately) have no contact with sulphuric acid during their lifetime.

So what is sulphuric acid used for?

?About 2/3 of the sulphuric acid produced is used to make fertilizers, specifically for the production of phosphates but also as ammonium sulphate. About 10% goes into metal processing, e.g. as an etching agent. Another 10% is used in the chemical industry, e.g. for the production of polyamides, Monomethyacrylacid(MMA) ,as dry agent ,as catalyst and for the production of paints and medicines. About 20% of the sulphuric acid produced is produced in connection with the extraction of metals such as copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold and others when roasting the metal sulphides or used for metal pickling or metal leaching.

?Due to the main use in fertilizers for food production, the production rate of sulfuric acid follows the increase of world population. Viewed by country there are great differences

visible like doubling production of H2SO4 in Morocco over the last 10 years and reduction in

the USA.

Nominal capacity use in sulfuric acid plants usually are lower than 90 %? and typically lower than in other industries.

From the regional point of view H2SO4 production is concentrated in China and in Africa

(Morocco, Tunesia, Egypt ) where phosphate raw material exists.

The amount of traded H2SO4 is rather small compared to the overall production, due to high transportation cost relative to product value. Usually traded H2SO4 would be excess sulfuric acid generated in metal refining processes.

Production therefore is located prefered near the point of use, often with favorable logistic conditions.

From continent to continent the use profile is quite different.(eg. in Africa )

In Northern Africa dominates H2SO4 production for fertilizers, while in Southern Africa

( DR Congo,Zambia, South Africa ) H2SO4 production is related with metal mining.

This picture is different from Europe where use in chemical industry is dominating.

#sulfuric acid,#sulfur,#fertilizer,#mining