Sulphuric acid
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Pure sulphuric acid is a clear, colourless, odourless, oily liquid which is very corrosive. It is one of the most important industrial chemicals, with a wide variety of uses, playing a part in the production of nearly all manufactured goods. One of the few consumer products that actually contains sulphuric acid is the common lead-acid storage battery used to power vehicles.
The largest single use of sulphuric acid is in the production of agricultural fertilisers, including phosphates and ammonium sulphate. Other uses of sulphuric acid are in the production of rayon, dyes, alcohols, plastics, rubber, ether, glue, film, explosives, drugs, paint, food containers, wood, preservatives, soaps, detergents, pharmaceutical products, petroleum products and paper.
Sulphuric acid is also used in a range of industries, including the following:
- Metal processing and refining.
- Electroplating baths.
- Water treatment, to adjust pH and to control corrosion and scaling.
- Petroleum refining (alkylation) of high-quality, high-octane gasoline components.
- Pickling (cleaning) iron and steel before plating with tin or zinc.
Sulphuric acid production
Mineral compounds containing sulphur, called sulphides, are present in most metal ore bodies. Smelting and refining these metals separate sulphides from the metals, resulting in the creation of sulphuric acid as a by product.
At Kennecott Utah Copper, copper ore from the mine is upgraded using a flotation process to produce a copper concentrate, which is about one third copper, one third iron and one third sulphur. The smelting process breaks the elements apart and the sulphur is released as sulphur dioxide gas. The smelter captures the sulphur dioxide emissions and cleans them before piping the gas to the acid plant, where it is converted to sulphuric acid.
The extraction of sulphur dioxide and processing into sulphuric acid is an important pollution control device that also produces a high-quality commercial product.
As sulphuric acid is highly corrosive, our operations ensure that all employees who work in its production follow very strict safety and health guidelines.
For more information on our other products, see our corporate fact sheets.