Sulfuric acid produced for the fertilizer industry is technical grade or impure and slightly colored with a concentration of between 78 – 93%. Another important fertilizer is ammonium sulfate, produced through the reaction between ammonium and sulfuric acid. Superphosphate of lime enables plants to absorb phosphate. Not only is sulfur added to the soil, it is also necessary for superphosphate of lime production where rock phosphate is mixed with sulfuric and phosphoric acid. During the refining of fossil fuels this sulfur is removed and most often sent in the form of sulfuric acid to fertilizer manufacturing plants. Sulfate is the most important source of nutrition for all plant life and plants can easily absorb it through their roots.ĭuring fossil fuel processing sulfur is extracted as a byproduct from the coal, crude oil, and natural gas that contain small to large quantities of it. While plants cannot make use of elementary sulfur, soil bacteria oxidize it to form sulfate. Sulfur deficiencies lead to leaf yellowing, leaf and tissue necrosis and stunted development. Most agricultural land requires a source of sulfur to replace that which has been used by crops or leached during rainy periods. Sulfuric Acid in Fertilizer Productionįertilizer production uses sulfuric acid to add sulfur to the soil. In short, sulfuric acid production is split into five stages – the extraction of sulfur either from the ground or as a byproduct of other manufacturing processes, the conversion of sulfur to sulfur dioxide, a further conversion from sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide, and the final addition of water to turn sulfur trioxide into fuming sulfuric acid, and the addition of concentrated sulfuric acid to produce even more molecules. Adding water to this ‘fuming sulfuric acid’ will create double the quantity of sulfuric acid – H 2S 2O 7 + H 20 = 2H 2SO 4. The remaining sulfur trioxide is dissolved or dried in concentrated sulfuric acid to produce H 2S 2O 7 – a process known as fuming. Cooling also condenses water vapor which is siphoned off, as otherwise the next stage would lead to the production of vast quantities of toxic fumes. This means the initial results can be extremely impure and it is important to cool off the SO 3 gas to remove the majority of these impurities. The other method of contact processing produces sulfur dioxide from materials that contain sulfur such as pyrite (iron (II) disulfide). Sulfur trioxide is also called anhydrous sulfuric acid (without water), sulfuric oxide or sulfuric anhydride. Sulfur trioxide reacts with the hydrogen and oxygen molecules in water to form sulfuric acid. This gas is cooled and then oxidized to form sulfur trioxide (SO 3) at moderately high temperatures. Simple contact-processing plants burn molten sulfur to form the gas sulfur dioxide (SO 2). First supplied on a large commercial scale in England in around 1740 through the burning of sulfur with potassium nitrate or saltpeter, today’s sulfuric acid is made using the contact process. This multifaceted acid is produced in large quantities and is the third most widely manufactured industrial chemical. Sulfuric acid uses are common in the industrial sector. This powerful acid is used in various industries, primarily in fertilizer and chemical production. The sulfuric acid formula, H 2SO 4, indicates the presence of a sulfur atom surrounded by two hydroxide compounds and two oxygen atoms. Other names are sulphine acid, battery acid, and hydrogen sulfate. Sulfuric acid (sulphuric acid) is a corrosive mineral acid with an oily, glassy appearance that gave it its earlier name of oil of vitriol.
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