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Sulfuric acid is one of the important basic chemical raw materials, known as the “mother of industry”. Under the leadership of the Party in China, China’s sulfuric acid industry has gone through years of hard work and effort by several generations, evolving from a small and weak sector to one that is now strong and advanced. It has become a leading country in this industry, offering a wide range of products, boasting state-of-the-art technology and equipment, as well as mature production processes, with its industrial scale ranking first in the world. China’s sulfuric acid industry has achieved remarkable progress in various areas such as process technology, industrial scale, equipment level, environmental protection standards, energy conservation and emission reduction, as well as the comprehensive utilization of resources. Looking back at the development history of China’s sulfuric acid industry, the early years after the founding of the country marked the first stage in its development. At that time, our country was still in the initial stage of development, relying mainly on the production of acid from pyrite, and it was during this period that the scale of our country’s sulfuric acid industry grew rapidly. In 1949, China’s sulfuric acid production was only 40,000 tons, with most sulfuric acid plants operating at a standstill. After three years of recovery and reconstruction, China’s sulfuric acid production began to increase. Over the 29-year period from 1949 to 1978, China’s sulfuric acid production grew at an average annual rate of 19.3%. By 1978, China’s sulfuric acid production had reached 6.61 million tons, making it a major producer of this substance after the United States and the Soviet Union. From 1978 to 1990, strong demand drove rapid development of the sulfuric acid industry, enabling China’s sulfuric acid sector to reach a production scale of tens of millions of tons. It was also during this period that China’s sulfuric acid industry, as it continued to develop, established design institutes, research institutions, and universities with the capability for independent innovation, and gradually built up a skilled workforce for sulfuric acid production. At the same time, a number of sulfuric acid equipment manufacturing enterprises equipped with advanced technology and strong innovation capabilities were established, all of which laid the foundation for the development of the sulfuric acid industry. Between 1991 and 2003, China’s sulfuric acid industry first experienced steady growth driven by the production of acid from pyrite, before experiencing rapid development driven by the production of acid from sulfur and through smelting processes. It was through continuous development and progress in the earlier stages, as well as strong support for sulfur-based acid production and smelting, that China’s total sulfuric acid production reached 33.707 million tons in 2003 – surpassing the United States’ 32.7 million tons – to rank first in the world and account for 19.3% of the global total sulfuric acid production. The period from 2004 to 2018 was a 15-year span of innovation and steady development for China’s sulfuric acid industry. During this period, sulfuric acid production in our country continued to grow at a rapid pace, with particular rapid development in sulfur-based acid production and smelting acid production. In 2018, the production of sulfuric acid from sulfur reached 44.32 million tons, which is 2.7 times that of 2004. During this period, thanks to the widespread adoption of waste heat recovery technology, China’s sulfuric acid industry made significant progress in terms of green development, earning it the reputation of an energy-efficient industry. By 2018, the production of acid from pyrite and sulfur had resulted in the recovery of 82.48 million tons of medium and low-pressure steam by utilizing high and low-temperature waste heat, which was equivalent to saving 11.45 million tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 31.02 million tons. From 2011 to 2018, China generated 800 million tons of steam by recovering waste heat from sulfur-based acid production and pyrite-based acid production, which was equivalent to saving 110 million tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 280 million tons. Today, China’s sulfuric acid industry is rapidly moving towards the world stage. According to customs statistics, in 2018 China exported a total of 1.281 million tons of sulfuric acid, setting a new historical record ; Net exports of sulfuric acid reached 328,000 tons, making the country a net exporter of sulfuric acid for the first time. China’s sulfuric acid is exported to countries such as Morocco, Chile, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Namibia, Australia, and Brazil, contributing to the development of industry around the world. In terms of production capacity, by the end of 2019, China’s annual sulfuric acid production capacity reached 124 million tons, an increase of 0.6% compared to the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan period. In 2019, China’s sulfuric acid production reached 97.363 million tons, an increase of 0.7% compared to the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan period. It accounted for 37.6% of the world’s total sulfuric acid production, keeping China in first place globally.