Manufacture of H2SO4

Types of Process 1. Chamber Process 2. Contact Proces

THE CONTACT PROCESS

A brief summary of the Contact Process makes sulphur dioxide; convers the sulphur dioxide into sulphur trioxide (the reversible reaction at the heart of the process); converts the sulphur trioxide into con. sulphuric acid.

 Making the sulphur dioxide

This can be made by burning sulphur in an excess of air:

S (s) + O2 (g) SO2 (g)

Converting the sulphur dioxide into sulphur trioxide

This is then oxidized to sulfur trioxide using oxygen in the presence of a vanadium(V) oxide catalyst.

2 SO2 (g) + O2 (g) 2 SO3 (g) (in presence of V2O5)

 Converting the sulphur trioxide into sulphuric acid

This can't be done by simply adding water to the sulphur trioxide . The reaction is so uncontrollable , it creates a fog of sulphuric acid. Instead, the sulphur trioxide is first dissolved in concentrated sulphuric acid:

H2SO4 (l) + SO3 H2S2O7 (l) The product is known as fuming sulphuric acid or oleum. This can then be reacted safely with water to produce concentrated sulphuric acid H2S2O7 (l) + H2O (l) 2 H2SO4 (l)

Spent Gases

MOLTEN SULFUR STORAGE

Steam

BURNER H2O Air Air Dryer Gas Filter H2O

Water Cooled Pipe Chillers

Oleum Absorption Tower

Steam Two-Stage Catalytic Converter

500C 600C

Oleum Storage

400C 450C

300C
Air Cooler H2O

98% H2S04 Storage

98% H2S04 Absorption Tower

H2O

Its main use is in phosphate fertilizer production, both superphosphate of lime and ammonium sulfate. It is widely also used to manufacture chemicals, e.g., in making hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfate salts, synthetic detergents, dyes and pigments, explosives, drugs, other acids, parchment paper, glue and wood preservatives. It is used in the purification of petroleum to wash impurities out of gasoline and other refinery products. Sulfuric acid is used in processing metals, e.g., in pickling (cleaning) of metal, electroplating baths, nonferrous metallurgy.

Rayon is made with sulfuric acid. In one of its most familiar applications, it serves as the electrolyte in the lead-acid storage battery commonly used in motor vehicles