Sulfuric Acid Essay Research Paper Sulfuric Acid

Sulfuric Acid Essay, Research Paper

Sulfuric Acid Industry in Ontario

Among the many plants in Ontario where sulfuric acid is

produced, there are three major plant locations that should

be noted on account of their greater size. These are: (1)

Inco. – Sudbury, (2) Noranda Mines Ltd. – Welland, and (3) Sulfide – Ontario

There are a number of factors which govern the location

of each manufacturing plant. Some of these factors that have

to be considered when deciding the location of a Sulfuric Acid plant are:

a. Whether there is ready access to raw materials;

b. Whether the location is close to major transportation routes;

c. Whether there is a suitable work force in the area for

plant construction and operation;

d. Whether there is sufficient energy resources readily available;

e. Whether or not the chemical plant can carry out its

operation without any unacceptable damage to the environment.

Listed above are the basic deciding factors that govern

the location of a plant. The following will explain in

greater detail why these factors should be considered.1) Raw Materials

The plant needs to be close to the raw materials that

are involved in the production of sulfuric acid such as

sulfur, lead, copper, zinc sulfides, etc..2) Transportation

A manufacturer must consider proximity to transpor-

tation routes and the location of both the source of raw

materials and the market for the product. The raw

materials have to be transported to the plant, and the

final product must be transported to the customer or

distributor. Economic pros and cons must also be thought

about. For example, must sulfuric plants are located

near the market because it costs more to transport

sulfuric acid than the main raw materials, sulfur.

Elaborate commission proof container are required for the

transportation of sulfuric acid while sulfur can be much

more easily transported by truck or railway car.

3) Human Resources For a sulfuric acid plant to operate, a

large work force will obviously be required. The plant must

employ chemists, technicians, administrators, computer

operators, and people in sales and marketing. A large number

of workers will also be required for the daily operation of

the plant. A work force of this diversity is therefore likely

to be found only near major centres of population.4) Energy Demands

Large amounts of energy will also be required for the

production of many industrial chemicals. Thus, proximity

to a plentiful supply of energy is often a determining

factor in deciding the plant’s location. 5) Environmental Concerns

Most importantly, however, concerns about the

environment must be carefully taken into consideration.

The chemical reaction of changing sulfur and other

substances to sulfuric acid results in the formation of

other substances like sulfur dioxide. This causes acid

rain. Therefore, there is a big problem about sulfuric

plants causing damage to our environment as the plant is

a source of sulfur emission leading to that of acid rain.6) Water Supplies

Still another factor is the closeness of the location

of the plants to water supplies as many manufacturing

plants use water for cooling purposes.

In addition to these factors, these questions must also

be answered: Is land available near the proposed site at a

reasonable cost. Is the climate of the area suitable. Are

the general living conditions in the area suitable for the

people involved who will be relocating in the area. Is there

any suggestions offered by governments to locate in a particular region.

The final decision on where the sulfuric acid plant

really involves a careful examination and a compromise among

all of the factors that have been discussed above.Producing Sulfuric Acid

Sulfuric acid is produced by two principal processes–

the chamber process and the contact process.

The contact process is the current process being used to

produce sulfuric acid. In the contact process, a purified

dry gas mixture containing 7-10% sulfur dioxide and 11-14%

oxygen is passed through a preheater to a steel reactor

containing a platinum or vanadium peroxide catalyst. The

catalyst promotes the oxidation of sulfur dioxide to

trioxide. This then reacts with water to produce sulfuric

acid. In practice, sulfur trioxide reacts not with pure

water but with recycled sulfuric acid.The reactions are: 2SO2 + O2 –* 2SO3

SO3 + H2O –* H2SO4 The product of the contact plants is 98-100% acid. This

can either be diluted to lower concentrations or made

stronger with sulfur trioxide to yield oleums. For the

process, the sources of sulfur dioxide may be produced from

pure sulfur, from pyrite, recovered from smelter operations

or by oxidation of hydrogen sulfide recovered f

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