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Sulfur Cycle

Sulfur is an essential component of proteins and vitamins. It cycles through plants, which absorb sulfur from the soil, and animals, which consume plants to get sulfur. Most sulfur is found in rocks, ocean sediments, and the atmosphere. Sulfur enters the atmosphere through volcanic eruptions and human activities like burning fossil fuels, which emit sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gases. These gases react with oxygen and water to form sulfuric acid, which falls to Earth's surface through acid deposition and is absorbed again by plants, continuing the sulfur cycle.

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303 views2 pages

Sulfur Cycle

Sulfur is an essential component of proteins and vitamins. It cycles through plants, which absorb sulfur from the soil, and animals, which consume plants to get sulfur. Most sulfur is found in rocks, ocean sediments, and the atmosphere. Sulfur enters the atmosphere through volcanic eruptions and human activities like burning fossil fuels, which emit sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gases. These gases react with oxygen and water to form sulfuric acid, which falls to Earth's surface through acid deposition and is absorbed again by plants, continuing the sulfur cycle.

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Sulfur cycle

Part IV of "Matter cycles": The sulfur cycle


Sulphur is one of the components that make up proteins and vitamins. Proteins consist of amino
acids that contain sulphur atoms. Sulphur is important for the functioning of proteins and
enzymes in plants, and in animals that depend upon plants for sulphur. Plants absorb sulphur
when it is dissolved in water. Animals consume these plants, so that they take up enough sulphur
to maintain their health.
Most of the earth's sulphur is tied up in rocks and salts or buried deep in the ocean in oceanic
sediments. Sulphur can also be found in the atmosphere. It enters the atmosphere through both
natural and human sources. Natural recourses can be for instance volcanic eruptions, bacterial
processes, evaporation from water, or decaying organisms. When sulphur enters the atmosphere
through human activity, this is mainly a consequence of industrial processes where sulphur
dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) gases are emitted on a wide scale.
When sulphur dioxide enters the atmosphere it will react with oxygen to produce sulphur
trioxide gas (SO3), or with other chemicals in the atmosphere, to produce sulphur salts. Sulphur
dioxide may also react with water to produce sulphuric acid (H2SO4). Sulphuric acid may also be
produced from demethylsulphide, which is emitted to the atmosphere by plankton species.
All these particles will settle back onto earth, or react with rain and fall back onto earth as acid
deposition. The particles will than be absorbed by plants again and are released back into the
atmosphere, so that the sulphur cycle will start over again.

A schematic representation of the sulphur cycle:

Read more: http://www.lenntech.com/sulphur-cycle.htm#ixzz2chMW1PHb

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