SULFUR CYCLE

GROUP 4
WHAT IS SULFUR?

• 10TH MOST ABUNDANT ELEMENT IN THE UNIVERSE

• A CHEMICAL ELEMENT THAT OCCURS NATURALLY AS A PURE
ELEMENT
• ABUNDANT AND BRIGHT YELLOW CRYSTALLINE SOLID WHEN AT
ROOM TEMPERATURE
• AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF LIFE THAT IS VITAL AND WIDELY USED IN
THE BIOCHEMICAL CYCLE
SULFUR
SULFUR CYCLE
FIRST STAGE

• SULFUR IN THE FORM OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE IS RELEASED INTO

THE ATMOSPHERE USUALLY THROUGH:

BURNING
FIRST STAGE

FOREST FIRES DECOMPOSITION

FIRST STAGE

VOLCANIC THE RELEASED

HYDROGEN SULFIDE
ERUPTION WILL BE ABSORBED BY
THE CLOUDS AND FALL
WITH THE RAIN
 SECOND STAGE

• ORGANISMS USE THE SULFUR IN THE

SOIL
• PLANT USE SULFUR FOR
PHOTOSYNTHESIS, CELLULAR
RESPIRATION, AND IN SYNTHESIZING
PROTEINS
• ANIMALS CAN OBTAIN SULFUR BY
EATING PLANTS. WHEN THESE
ORGANISMS DIE, THE SULFUR IN THEIR
BODY RETURNS TO THE SOIL
THROUGH DECOMPOSITION
THIRD STAGE

BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS THEN RELEASES THE

SULFUR IN THEM. THIS THEN BONDS WITH THE
BURNING OF OXYGEN IN ORDER TO FORM SULFUR DIOXIDE WHICH
FOSSIL FUELS THEN COMBINES WITH AIR MOLECULES IN ORDER TO
FORM ACID RAIN
THIRD STAGE

PLANTS AND ALGAE USES

SULFATE FOR GROWTH AND
ENZYME ACTIVATION

FISHS GET SULFUR BY EATING

PLANTS
AS THE RAIN FALLS INTO THE
SEA, SULFUR DIOXIDE BONDS
WITH OTHER OXYGEN ATOMS
TO FORM SULFATE, SULFUR’S
WATER SOLUBLE FORM
FOURTH STAGE

AS THESE ORGANISMS DIE, THEIR

SULFATE RETURNS TO THE WATER
THROUGH DECOMPOSITION.

WATER THEN EVAPORATES WITH

ULFATE INCLUDED. SLFUR WILL THEN
GETS ASORBED BY THE CLOUDS WICH
THEN REPEATS THE CYCLE