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Sulfuric acid is produced by heating chemicals to bond sulfur with hydrogen. It is used in various industrial processes and is the most produced chemical in the world. The contact process and wet process are used to produce sulfuric acid. The demand for sulfuric acid continues to grow by about 3% each year.
To produce sulfuric acid, chemicals are heated to speed up the process of sulfur bonding with hydrogen. In nearly every industrialized nation on earth, sulfuric acid is used to make a large number of different products and processes. Before the mid-1700s the production of sulfuric acid was limited to small quantities created in a few glass bottles. Now, it is the most produced chemical in the world. Most of the contemporary production of sulfuric acid takes place by the contact process. Another method used to produce sulfuric acid by condensing water from cooling sulfur trioxide gas is the wet process.
Prior to 1746, sulfuric acid was produced in glass bottles and could only be produced in very small quantities. John Roebuck created the lead chamber manufacturing process for making sulfuric acid that could produce acid by the ton. This process revolutionized the production of sulfuric acid, making it available for widespread industrial use. The original process, used as recently as 1946, involved igniting sulfur and potassium nitrate in a lead-foil lined room with water covering the floor. The resulting sulfur trioxide would react with water to produce sulfuric acid.
Today, most sulfuric acid is produced using the contact process, also known as the double contact and double absorption (DCDA) process. This process involves burning solid sulfur dioxide to produce sulfur dioxide gas. This sulfur dioxide gas is then combined with air and heated to approximately 450 degrees F (232 degrees C) and pressurized with a vanadium oxide catalyst, which produces sulfur trioxide. Also called oleum, this sulfur trioxide is then dissolved in 98% sulfuric acid resulting in disulfuric acid. Water is added to disulfuric acid to produce sulfuric acid.
The wet sulfuric acid process (WSA) is also used in the production of sulfuric acid. Similar to the contact process, the wet process involves the burning of sulfur or hydrogen sulfide gas to produce sulfur dioxide. As in the contacting process, the sulfur dioxide is then combined with oxygen and a vanadium oxide catalyst to produce sulfur dioxide. The sulfur trioxide is then hydrated in sulfuric acid and possibly condensed to the desired concentration of 97% to 98%. The key difference between the contact process and the wet process is the different way water is used.
The demand for sulfuric acid production continues to grow by about 3% each year as it is part of many industrial processes. It is estimated that between 165 and 200 million tons of sulfuric acid are produced each year. The fertilizer used in agriculture absorbs about 65% of this amount. It is also used in many other processes including the manufacture of dyes, plastics, explosives and pharmaceuticals.
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