The contact process creates sulfuric acid for industrial use and was patented by Peregrine Phillips in 1831. It replaced the lead chamber process due to its efficiency and versatility. The process involves creating sulfur dioxide, purifying it, converting it to sulfur trioxide, and then producing sulfuric acid.
The contact process is a chemical procedure that creates sulfuric acid for industrial purposes such as paints, detergents, fertilizers and plastic products. The method has been widely attributed to a British merchant named Peregrine Phillips, who patented the process in the year 1831. Since then, the contact process has been used worldwide for the production of sulfuric acid.
Before the contact process became widespread, the primary method for creating sulfuric acid was the lead chamber process, but the former process was found to be more efficient and less expensive. Industries have also preferred it over the lead chamber process because it can also be used for the production of other chemical compounds such as oleum and sulfur dioxide. The contacting process generally has three steps, creating the sulfur dioxide, then converting it to sulfur dioxide, then finally converting it to sulfuric acid.
The first step in creating sulfur dioxide involves two possible methods that use air to supply the oxygen in the sulfur compound. The first method is to burn molten sulfur which can mix with the air as it burns, producing sulfur dioxide. The second method is to heat materials that contain sulfur, such as iron pyrite. The evaporating sulfur will then mix with the oxygenated air and be converted into sulfur dioxide.
The sulfur dioxide produced may contain some impurities, so it should undergo a purification process, which first involves a dust chamber to eliminate all dust particles in the compound. The second step is the scrubber tower, where sulfur dioxide is sprayed with water to rinse away soluble contaminants. The compound goes through a drying tower to dehydrate it for further purification and passes through a test box to remove the arsenic oxide. Once the sulfur dioxide is completely purified, it can be converted into sulfur dioxide.
To convert sulfur dioxide to sulfur dioxide, the contact process usually uses a compound called vanadium oxide contained in several high pressure pipes. The tubes are heated up to 842°F (about 450°C) to drive the oxygen from the vanadium oxide into the air. Once the sulfur dioxide enters the pipes, it reacts with the oxygenated air and becomes sulfur dioxide. Ideally, more than 95% of the sulfur dioxide should be converted to sulfur dioxide, and unconverted sulfur dioxide is removed.
In the final step of the contacting process, concentrated sulfuric acid is used to dissolve the sulfur trioxide, producing the oleum. The oleum is then reacted with water and finally, liquid sulfuric acid is produced. The sulfuric acid produced is 30 to 50 percent more than the concentrated sulfuric acid used in the final stage of the contacting process.
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