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Sulphuric acid is a strong mineral acid that is corrosive and can cause serious damage upon contact. It is produced via the contact process, which involves burning sulfur with air to produce sulfur dioxide, then converting the sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide using a vanadium oxide catalyst, and absorbing the sulfur trioxide in oleum or water to form sulfuric acid. The contact process produces a much larger yield of sulfuric acid than other processes and conserves energy. Sulfuric acid has a variety of industrial uses such as in fertilizers, detergents, batteries, and oil refining. Proper safety equipment and storage is required when handling sulfuric acid due to its corrosive nature.

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215 views

Slide Content PDF

Sulphuric acid is a strong mineral acid that is corrosive and can cause serious damage upon contact. It is produced via the contact process, which involves burning sulfur with air to produce sulfur dioxide, then converting the sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide using a vanadium oxide catalyst, and absorbing the sulfur trioxide in oleum or water to form sulfuric acid. The contact process produces a much larger yield of sulfuric acid than other processes and conserves energy. Sulfuric acid has a variety of industrial uses such as in fertilizers, detergents, batteries, and oil refining. Proper safety equipment and storage is required when handling sulfuric acid due to its corrosive nature.

Uploaded by

najwasyafiqah_1
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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What is sulphuric acid ?

 corrosive strong mineral acid with the molecular formula H2SO4


 diprotic acid
 at a high concentration can cause very serious damage upon contact.
 can lead to permanent blindness if splashed onto eyes and irreversible
damage if swallowed.
 Sulphuric acid can be produced by contact process and lead chamber process
Process selection
Contact process (based of pfd) :
Raw material : sulphur (from natural gas and oil)
: air (oxygen)
: water
Stage 1 : Preparation of sulphur dioxide
1. Air (oxygen) – pure oxygen is blown into the plant through air blower
2. Drying tower: absorb water vapour remaining in the gas
3. Sulfur in solid pass through melter and sprayed in the furnace and burned with
drying air
4. Burn sulfur in air : (equation)
5. Purification of sulfur dioxide : the gas is purified and cooled
6. Oxidation of sulfur dioxide: oxidation produce large amount of heat is used to boil
water to produce steam to generate electricity
Stage 2: Catalytic conversion
Sulfur dioxide with excess oxygen are pass through a converter. Sulfur dioxide is converted
to sulfur trioxide with the presence of vanadium oxide as a catalyst, a temperature of 400-
450 °c and a pressure of 1-2 atm
(equation)
First converter : 63% of SO2 to SO3
Second converter: 88% of SO2 to SO3
Third converter: 95% of SO2 to SO3
Sulphur trioxide produced form the converter is fed to economizer to heat the boiler feed
water

 Exothermic reaction
 Catalyst: to speed up the reaction
: platinum is expensive so vanadium oxide preferred
Stage 3 : Absorption
In oleum tower SO3 is absorbed by the oleum circulation and unabsorbed SO3 is absorbed
in the absorber.
Water is added to the acid tank to produce H2SO4 by reacting with oleum.
Sulfur trioxide is reacted with concentrated of sulfur acid to form oleum
(equation)
Oleum is diluted with water to produce concentrated sulfuric acid in large quantities.
(equation)
Sulfur trioxide is not dissolve directly in water to produce H2SO4 because:

 Solubility of sulfur trioxide in water is low


 Sulfur trioxide reacts too violently with water to produce a lot heat and fumes(acid
vapor)
Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages Disadvantages

Contact Process  Produces a much larger  Highly exothermic


amount of sulphuric acid reaction

 Produces acid with high  Sulphur dioxide can


concentration be released in air to
form acid rain

Lead Chamber Process  The original acid to be  This process is not


used can be obtained at widely use
any concentration
 Low concentration
of sulphuric acid

 A lot of energy
required for very
small yield

Cost
Capital cost: The cost of building the plant depending on the equipment used.
Variable cost: The cost that changes throughout the year depending on the production of
sulphuric acid.
Fixed cost: The cost of the staff, local rates, advertising and utility bills.
Uses of Sulphuric Acid
 Fertilizers
 Drain cleaners
 Detergents
 Synthetic resins
 Pharmaceuticals
 Petroleum catalysts
 Insecticides
 Antifreeze
 Batteries
 Pigments such as paint, enamels, and printing inks
Safety Considerations
 Respirator
 Long rubber gloves
 Boots
 Industrial apron
 Safety goggles
 Face shield
 Sulfuric acid should be stored in a cool, dry area away from direct sunlight and heat
sources.
 Sulfuric acid should not be stored indoors in large quantities, to prevent the possible
accumulation of vapors.
Conclusion
Sulphuric acid is also used as catalyst and dehydrating agent in petrochemical process and
organic chemical manufacturing. The global sulphuric acid market is segmented on the basis
of manufacturing process, application, and region. Thus, producing sulphuric acid is way
much more better by using the contact process as it conserve energy when the mixture is
heated by exhaust gases from the catalytic converter by heat exchangers. This process
produce large number of sulphuric acid than other processes and this could fulfill the high
demand of sulphuric acid the industry.

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