Globally, more than 200m tonnes of sulphuric acid are consumed on an annual basis. Most is produced through sulphur burning for captive use, primarily for the phosphate fertilizer and base metals sectors. Sulphuric acid is also required in a wide variety of specialty and industrial products, such as caprolactam (capro), pulp, paper and batteries.
A proportion of global sulphuric acid is also produced as an involuntary by-product through the smelting of base metals copper, nickel and zinc. Smelters are prevalent in Europe, South Korea and Japan.
As with its sulphur counterpart, demand for sulphuric acid correlates strongly with global development. The need for new infrastructure and food for a growing population directly affects the industry, because sulphuric acid is required to produce specific fertilizers for food crops, as well as for base metals used in construction.
Sulphuric acid is an important raw material for a wide variety of sectors and the outlook is for stable supply and demand conditions.
Updated to mid-November 2012