Sulfur Cycle

Definition of Sulfur
Sulfur or the other name is Sulphur is a chemical formula which the symbol of S
and consisting with the atomic number of 16. It is and multivalent, nonmetal and also
abundant. At the normal condition, the sulfur can form cyclic octatomic molecules which
the chemical formula with S8 (Sulfur, 2016) . For the room temperature, the sulfur is a
bright yellow crystalline

solid as it can see in figure 1. The sulfur can reacts any

elements except for the gold, platinum, nitrogen, iodine, tellurium and also the noble
gases. Other than that, sulfur can occur as elements ( native sulfur) , but usually the
sulfur can combined to form sulfide and sulfate minerals (Sulfur, 2016). Today, the sulfur
is produced as the by product for removing sulfur containing contaminants from natural
gas and petroleum. The sulfur can be used as production of sulfuric acid for the sulfate
and phosphate fertilizers (Sulfur, 2016). It also can be used as matches, fungicides and
insecticdes

Figure 1: Sulfur
Most of the sulfur compounds, are skunk scent, grapefruit, smells odorized
natural gas and garlic because of the organosulfur compunds. In all life, sulfur is very
essential elements but always in the form of metal sulfides or organosulfur compounds
(Sulfur, 2016). Other than that, many cofactor containing the sulfur, including iron sulfur
proteins, thioredoxin and glutathione. For biochemical functioning and macronutrient for
all microorganism, sulfur is the core chemical elements (Sulfur, 2016).

How sulfur made

Sulfur is made when applying at high temperature in depth of massive stars

when the combination of nuclei of silicon and helium. On the earth, the sulfur is
found in free state near volcanoes and the hot springs. Other than that the sulfur
brought to the earth via meteorites.

Definition of Sulfur cycle

Sulfur cycle is the process of collection which the sulfur will move to and from
mineral and living the system. This biogeochemical are important in geology
because they affect many minerals. The biochemical cycles are also important
for life because the sulfur is an essential element, being constituent of many
protein and also cofactors. Figure 2 below show sulfur cycle in the general

Figure 2: General Sulfur Cycle

Basic step for sulfur cycle

The mineralization of organic sulfur into the inorganic sulfur form like Hydrogen

sulphide (H2S), the elemental sulfur and sulfide minerals (Sulfur Cycle, 2016)
2
The oxidation of hydrogen sulfide and elemental sulfur (S) to sulfate ( SO 4 )

(Sulfur Cycle, 2016)

Reduction of sulfate to sulfide (Sulfur Cycle, 2016).
Inorganic of sulfide into organic compounds (including metal-containing
derivatives) (Sulfur Cycle, 2016).

General Process Sulfur Cycle Occur

The sulfur cycle usually contained atmospheric and terrestrial processes. The
terrestrial process means the biological living or growing on land or in the ground not
the aquatic. From the terrestrial portion the cycle begins with the weathering of rocks
and releasing the stored sulfured. The meaning for the weathering is the breaking down
of rocks, soil ,mineral ,wood and artificial material which through the contact with earth
atmosphere, water and biological organism (Weathering , 2016). Usually the weathering
occur on site which is the same place with no any single movement and thus should
not be confused with the erosion that involving the movements of the minerals like
snow, water and being deposited in other location (Weathering , 2016).
Two process classification for weathering process. The first one is physical
weathering.

The physical weathering occur when breakdown of the rock and soil

through contact of atmospheric condition like heat, water and pressure (Weathering ,
2016). The second weathering classification is Chemical. It occur when involving the
direct effect of atmospheric chemical or biological that produced chemical also known
as biological weathering in breakdown of rock and soil (Weathering , 2016). So physical
weathering is occurring in very cold and dry condition whereas the chemical reaction
are the most domain during the climate is wet and hot. The figure 3 below show the
effect of weathering process which changes appearance and condition.

Figure 3: Effect of Weathering process

As the sulfur release from the weathering of rock. The sulfur will come into
contact with air which need to be converted into sulfate (SO4). Sulfate is an anion that
occur as tiny particulate which negative charged are electrochemically balanced by the
positive charge like ammonium, calcium and hydrogen (Sulfur Cycle, 2016). The sulfate
then is taken by the plants and also microorganism and will converted to the organic
forms. Next, the animal will consume these organic form through the food they eat
(Sulfur Cycle, 2016). So the sulfur moving through the food chain. When the organism
die and decompose , some sort of sulfur will release again as sulfate and some of them
will enter the tissue of the microorganism (Sulfur Cycle, 2016) .
Some bacteria like proteus, pseudomonas and salmonella have the ability to
reduce sulfur but can also use oxygen and other terminal electron acceptors (The Sulfur
Cycle, 2016). Others like desulfuromonas use only the sulfur. These kind of bacteria get
their energy by reducing the elemental of sulfur to hydrogen sulfide. They may
combined

this reaction with the oxidation of acetate, succinate or other organic

compounds (The Sulfur Cycle, 2016). The well known sulfur reducing bacteria are those
in domain Archea which some oldest form of life on Earth (The Sulfur Cycle, 2016).
They often extremophiles which living in hot springs and thermal vents where other
organism cannot live (The Sulfur Cycle, 2016). Many of bacteria reduce small amount of
sulfates to synthesize sulfur containing cell components which known as assimilatory
sulfate condition (The Sulfur Cycle, 2016). By contrast, the sulfate reducing bacteria is

considered to reduce the sulfate in large amounts so that obtain the energy and expel
the resulting sulfide as a waste (The Sulfur Cycle, 2016). In sense they breath the
sulfate. Sulfur metabolic pathway for bacteria have important toward medical
implication. For instance mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterium leprae both
utilize sulfur so that the sulfur pathway is a target of drug development to control these
kind of bacteria (The Sulfur Cycle, 2016) . So for the figure 4 and 5 below show the
schematic Sulfur Cycle that occur to the surrounding
Figure 4 : Sulfur cycle

Figure 5 : Sulfur cycle

Other than that, there are a lot of natural sources that emit sulfur into the
atmosphere like volcanic eruption, breakdown organic matter in swamps and
evaporation of water (Sulfur Cycle, 2016). Then sulfur eventually fall back to into the
earth or come down within rainfall. A continuous loss of sulfur from terrestrial ecosystem
runoff occur through drainage into lake and stream and lastly into the ocean (Sulfur
Cycle, 2016). The sulfur will fallout into the ocean from the earth atmosphere. Within
those ocean some sulfur cycles through to the marine communities by moving through
the food chain (Sulfur Cycle, 2016). Some portion of the sulfur will emitted back into
atmosphere from sea spray. The remaining sulfur is lost to the ocean depth that
combining with iron to form ferrous sulfide which responsible for black color of most
marine sediments (Sulfur Cycle, 2016). The total amount of sulfur that enter to the
atmosphere in the sulfur recycle has exponentially increased all these year as result
from the human activity. The energy source like burning the fossil fuels, human had
being increased the amount of sulfide that enter the system (Sulfur Cycle, 2016). So,
the human being are responsible for the one third of sulfide enter to atmosphere by
sulfur recycle.

How do Human Influence the Sulfur cycle

The well known environmental problem is acid rain. The large emission of sulfur
dioxide to the atmosphere is associated with the acid rain is caused by the human
source like metal smelters, burning fuel oil to heat homes and coal fired power plants.
The SO2 is oxidized in atmosphere to sulfate, which is balanced by the hydrogen ion
and the precipitation of chemistry is acidic (Sulfur, 2016). In addition, the vicinity of large
point sources of the SO2 emission is polluted by large concentration of the gas (Sulfur,
2016). The SO2 can cause toxicity of the plants, or may be killed which resulting severe
ecological damages, if the concentration is large enough. Other than that, the
atmospheric SO2 can be deposited to surface particularly moist soil, plant or maybe
aquatic surface when SO2 can be dissolve in the water (Sulfur, 2016).
When this kind of condition happen, the SO2 become oxidized to sulfate and it
will generating the acidity (Sulfur, 2016). This is mean that the input of sulfur dioxide is

called as dry deposition and it is fundamental of different process from so called the wet
deposition of sulfate and also acidity with the precipitation (Sulfur, 2016). The another
environmental problem is acid mine which usually associated with metal mining and
coal and also construction activities like road building (Sulfur, 2016). For all these cases,
it will exposure to large quantities of the mineral sulfides to the atmospheric condition as
contacted with physical disturbance. This will cause the sulfide to be oxidize with sulfate
which a process that accompanied by generation of large amounts of acidity. When the
surface water is exposed to acid mine drainage, it will cause to become acidified which
the pH is less than 3, directly resulting in biological damage and environmental
degradation (Sulfur, 2016).

How can people Stop the Acid Rain

The first thing is apply the EPA Acid Rain Program (Acid Rain, 2016). For every
day in our life, people used power plant to generate the electricity. But the power plants
also produce a large amounts of nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide which those
pollutants cause the acid rain (Acid Rain, 2016). When people burn the fossil fuels
particularly the coal which to produce the energy, the congress will pass the law which
is called Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. This law state that the EPA need to start
the Acid Rain Program. That program, limit toward the amount of substance that can be
release to the air and also the issue for the allowance toward power plant which need to
cover the sulfur dioxide emission (Acid Rain, 2016). It also reduce the nitrogen dioxide
releasing from the power plants.
The next one is by reducing the pollution (Acid Rain, 2016). A lot of scientists
from all the world have found the way to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide released
from the power plants. The strategy is using the coal that less containing of sulfur (Acid
Rain, 2016). Other strategy is like wash the coal to remove some of the sulfur (Acid
Rain, 2016). Other than that, the power plants also can install equipment like scrubbers
that can remove the sulfur dioxide from gases living the smokestack (Acid Rain, 2016).
Due to if the nitrogen dioxides are created from the burning coal and other fossil fuel,
many of the plants are changing the way of they burn.

Next strategy can we do to stop the acid rain is changing other sources of the
energy (Acid Rain, 2016). The best way to reduce the acid rain is to produce the energy
without using the fossil fuels. Instead people can use renewable sources energy like
soar and power wind. Using renewable sources can help to reduce the acid rain
because it much less pollution (Acid Rain, 2016). These kind sources energy can be
used to power machinery and also produce the electricity.
The last one is using the cleaner cars (Acid Rain, 2016). The major sources of
the pollutant that cause of acid rain are cars and the trucks. The one car alone does not
create a huge pollution toward environment but when all the cars on the road together
can create a huge impact toward the pollution of the environments (Acid Rain, 2016).
So the car manufacture are require to reduce the amount of nitrogen dioxide and other
types of pollutants released for the new cars. The technology used now day to curb this
kind of situation is using the catalytic converter (Acid Rain, 2016). This kind of
equipment had been used for almost over 20 years to reduce the amount of nitrogen
dioxide that released to the atmosphere by the vehicles. Some new cars can also use
cleaner fuel like natural gas. Cars that produce the less pollution and which better for
the environment are always labeled as low emission vehicles (Acid Rain, 2016).

Effect of sulfur on environment and health

It can cause the irritation of the eyes and also the throat of the animal when up
take the place of inhalation through sulfur in the gaseous phase. The laboratory test
toward the test animal have indicated that the sulfur cause the serious vascular damage
in veins of the brains heart and also the kidney (Sulphur -S, 2016). The test show that
certain form of sulfur can cause foetal damage and also cognetial effects. As we know
all living thing need the sulfur. It is really important toward to human because part of
amino acid methionine which human required it. The average person can take place
around 900mg of sulfur per day in form of protein (Sulphur -S, 2016). So the effect of
sulfuric substance toward human health like heart damage, damage to immune system,
disturbance of blood circulation and lastly disturbance of the hormonal metabolism
(Sulphur -S, 2016).

References
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agency:
https://www3.epa.gov/acidrain/education/site_students/beingdone.html
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur
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sulfur, Humans and the sulfur cycle:
http://science.jrank.org/pages/6600/Sulfur-Cycle.html
Sulfur Cycle. (2016). Retrieved from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_cycle
Sulfur Cycle. (2016). Retrieved from The Environmental Literacy Council:
https://enviroliteracy.org/air-climate-weather/biogeochemical-cycles/sulfurcycle/
Sulphur -S. (2016). Retrieved from Chemical properties of sulphur - Health effects of
sulphur - Environmental effects of sulphur:
http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/s.htm
The Sulfur Cycle. (2016). Retrieved from Boundless.com:
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering