Economic Considerations

Abstract

The manufacture of sulfuric acid has become very competitive all over the world due to the availability of large quantities of by-product sulfuric acid from metallurgical plants based on copper pyrites, zinc pyrites, iron pyrites, etc. Moreover, many consumers of sulfuric acid have started using waste sulfuric acid available at a much lower price instead of the fresh acid. The spread of sulfuric acid manufacturing plants has made it uneconomical to transport the acid safely over long distances. It has thus become imperative to explore markets for the acid in nearby areas only. In many countries the plants are located inland away from ports where sulfur is not available locally. The long distances from the ports involved in these countries increases the cost of transportation of sulfur to the plant site. It is customary to use tankers having capacities of 40–60 MT to reduce the cost of transportation. However this increases the risk of leakage during transport. Special regulations are imposed by each country in order to safeguard the surrounding environment.