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What Are the Uses of Sulfuric Acid in Industry?

Esther Ejim
Esther Ejim

Sulfuric acid has so many uses in industrial processes that it might be easier to look for objects that do not require some form of sulfuric acid or its derivatives as a part of the production process. As a matter of fact, this product is so important that the demand for it each year is always predictably high due to the fact that companies across industries need this product for some form of application toward the production process. Examples for the use of sulfuric acid in industry can be seen in the area of waste treatment, for the production of fertilizing agents and in the manufacture of various items ranging from explosives to dyes.

One of the uses of sulfuric acid in industry is its applications toward the manufacture of explosives since it is one of the components included in the chemicals added in such explosives that react together to produce the discharge in the form of explosions. In the case of explosives, the sulfuric acid is usually mixed with another type of acid known as nitric acid in order to create a particularly explosive compound. One of the most important uses of sulfuric acid in industry is in the production of fertilizer. Consequently, fertilizer manufacturers constitute one of the largest consumers of the aggregate sulfuric acid produced in the world due to the staggering volume of demand from that industry. Phosphate fertilizers are the product of the mixture of sulfuric acid and crushed phosphate rock, which are further processed by being mixed together in a reactor until the desired end product is derived.

Sulfuric acid is widely used in the fertilizer industry.
Sulfuric acid is widely used in the fertilizer industry.

Another use of sulfuric acid in industry is in the production of dyes, specifically acid dyes, usually used in setting the color of the dye. The dye that is produced utilizing sulfuric acid or indeed other forms of acid usually have their own unique characteristics and benefits as opposed to other types of dyes. An example of this benefit is the fact that the dyes produced in this manner usually take to the materials more permanently, and they can be used to dye objects like paper or other materials that require even coloration and really bright colors. Even though it sounds like something that might not be very palatable due to the perception of the corrosive properties inherent in acids, sulfuric acids may also be applied toward the production of certain types of drugs. It may also be utilized in the refining process for crude oil.

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    • Sulfuric acid is widely used in the fertilizer industry.
      By: Sinisa Botas
      Sulfuric acid is widely used in the fertilizer industry.