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Sulphuric Acid Manufacturing

Process
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

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Sulphuric Acid Manufacturing Process

Sulphuric Acid Manufacturing Process

Sulphuric Acid is world’s most produced chemical

because of its widespread use in not only in
Chemical, Metallurgical, Process, Petrochemical,
Fertilizer industries but also in electrical and
electronics, Semiconductor industries and also in
variety of labs all around the world. The most
important use is in phosphate industry and also in
metal extraction industries. They also find important
uses in Paint and Pigment, Explosive, Detergent,
Plastic and Synthetic Fiber industries.

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Sulphuric Acid is a colourless liquid which has an

appearance similar to that of water. It has a
molecular weight of about 98. It is heavier than
water. The sulphuric acid can be diluted by water to
get acids in various strengths for different purposes.
During the mixing process, sulphuric acid should be
added to water.

Reason being that since sulphuric acid is heavier

than water it will move to the bottom due to gravity
and the mixing will be much uniform. In case we
add water to sulphuric acid, since the water is
lighter than sulphuric acid, it will stay at the top.

Hence, we will have water in the top layer and

sulphuric acid in the bottom layer. At the interface
the sulphuric acid will absorb water and release
heat. This released heat will evaporate a fraction of
water near the interface. It will convert it into
steam. The steam will expand and the mixture will
be splashed everywhere in an exploding fashion.

Almost all the sulphuric acid around the world is

manufactured by Contact Process.

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Raw Materials used in Contact

Process
Sulphuric acid is made up of Sulphur, Oxygen and
Hydrogen. So naturally the sources which are rich in
these elemental compositions are chosen for the
task of production of Sulphuric Acid. The raw
materials used can be elemental sulphur by itself or
Sulphur Dioxide or Pyrite. Also, air and water are
used.

Sulphur can be found from mines, Sulphur and

Sulphur Dioxide can be found from stack gases
which are obtained from coal or oil industries.
Sulphur or Hydrogen Sulphide can be obtained from
petroleum desulphurisation. Sulphur dioxide can be
obtained from smelting of metal silicide ores or it
can be isolated from pyrite.

Sulphuric Acid Manufacturing

Process
Production of Sulpur Dioxide Gas (SO2)
Production of Sulpur Trioxide Gas (SO3)
Production of Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4)

Sulphuric Acid Manufacturing

Process Steps

Sulphuric Acid Manufacturing Process

The contact process involves three main steps. First

step is oxidation of sulphur to sulphur dioxide.
Second step is catalytic oxidation of sulphur dioxide
to sulphur trioxide. Third step is hydration of
sulphur trioxide to form Sulphuric Acid.

First step: Production of Sulpur

Dioxide Gas (SO2)
The sulphur obtained from any kind of source is
burned to form sulphur dioxide gas. Care is to be
taken in this step so that the air supplied for
combustion process is dry. Any traces of water
present will result in the formation of acid and
cause corrosion within the combustion equipment.
Also if the sulphur contains carbonaceous impurities
then it has to be filtered. If the gas is not filtered for
the impurities then they will be carried over through
the equipments and if they reach catalysts then
they will tend to deactivate it. The oxidation of
sulphur to sulphur dioxide is a highly irreversible
process.

Sulphuric Acid Manufacturing Process

Second step: Production of

Sulpur Trioxide Gas (SO3)
The catalyst used for the catalytic oxidation of
sulphur dioxide to sulphur trioxide is Vanadium
Pentoxide. Before sending the sulphur dioxide to the
reactor the gas is pretreated to remove any
impurities if present by Wet Scrubbing and if there
are any fine particles present then the gas is passed
through electrostatic precipitator. The oxidation of
sulphur dioxide to sulphur trioxide is a reversible
process. The pressure is maintained at 1.2-1.5 atm
and temperature at 410-430°C.

If the temperature rises above 430°C then the

equilibrium is displaced away from Sulphur Trioxide,
hence it is very important that operating
temperature should be maintained in this range.
Commonly the catalytic reactor is designed as a
four stage bed reactor. When the gas is passed to
one catalyst bed it’s temperature rises from the
range of 410-430°C to about 600°C hence after
each stage the gas has to be cooled to the optimum
temperature again before passing it to the next
stage.

Sulphuric Acid Manufacturing Process

It is important that the sulphur dioxide be

prevented from leaking in the atmosphere as they
not only pollute the air but also are a major
constitute in the cause of Acid Rain. Double
Absorption helps in ensuring that more of sulphur
dioxide is converted to sulphur trioxide and also
overall doing this is beneficial for the process also in
terms of purity. After three stages the purity
becomes 97-98% and after four stages the purity
becomes 99.5-99.8%.

Third step: Production of

Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4)
The sulphur trioxide is hydrated by absorption in a
packed tower which is filled with Sulphuric Acid of a
specific range. This specific range is 98-99%. If this
concentration happens to be on lower side then
sulphur trioxide is not properly absorbed and forms
a troublesome mist. If the concentration happens to
be on the higher side then vapours become very
significant inside the tower. Hence it is important to
maintain a good operation concentration. The
resulting acid strength can be adjusted by
controlling the flow rates of sulphur trioxide and
water. The resulting acid strength can be varied
from 91 to about 100% sulphuric acid.

Sulphuric Acid Manufacturing Process

Reference/Image:- Youtube

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