Can low-purity sulfur be used to produce sulfuric acid?

Is it the sulfur paste produced by coking desulfurization? This type of sulfur is generally used as a co-firing material in mineral acid production plants, and cannot be used in sulfur-based acid production plants.

Sulfur contains about 30% wt of water, as well as approximately 5% wt of sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate; pure sulfur can be separated from it, but it is not feasible to use sulfur in the production of acid

Thank you, the two above. This is biological sulfur produced during wastewater treatment; purifying sulfur requires costs, and the amount is not large, so it is not economical. I’m not sure if this thing can directly produce acid or do something similar ； Is it possible to produce low-quality sulfuric acid for use in mineral processing or the steel industry after simple drying?

The quantity is not large; it is not economical to build a sulfuric acid plant, so it’s better to use it for co-firing with other materials.

This post was last edited by weiyd on 2016-11-18 08:22. It is possible to produce acid; the FRC process used by Osaka Gas in Japan is employed for the desulfurization and decyanidation of coke oven gas. After centrifugal concentration of the desulfurization liquid, it is sent to an incinerator where it is burned to produce acid. The components of this material include sulfur in an amount of less than 15% by weight, while ammonium thiocyanate and thiosulfate each account for approximately 20% by weight. Such materials can be burned to produce sulfur dioxide. In the material composition of the original poster, elemental sulfur accounts for more than 60%, so burning it to produce acid is not a problem. However, sodium ions represent a serious issue; they cannot be broken down or removed through combustion, and thus constitute an impurity that cannot be eliminated in the acid production process. Although dust removal is carried out during acid production, sodium salts cannot be completely removed. If the quantity is small, it is indeed troublesome to treat it as solid waste; a moisture content of 30% by weight means it is essentially sulfur paste. It is considered hazardous waste, and special qualifications are required for its disposal upon leaving the factory. If 5% wt of sodium salts is removed, a way can still be found to use it as a sulfur ointment product

A domestic process package has been installed and is in operation in Shandong.

@Weiyd, thank you. May I ask, what are the hazards of sodium ions on acid production? Scaling, corrosion, or...? To what level must sodium ions be reduced for acid production to be acceptable? Is it possible to produce low-quality sulfuric acid? I’ve seen that some steel mills use sulfuric acid that is quite dirty, with a color similar to that of soy sauce. I guess they don’t need sulfuric acid of very high purity; are there facilities dedicated to producing low-quality sulfuric acid? @txglyl Thank you. May I ask, what kind of technical process package is it that \"has been implemented and is in operation in Shandong using domestic process packages\"? Make acid?

You’ve seen that the sulfuric acid used in some steel mills is very dirty, with a color similar to soy sauce – it’s waste acid. The sulfuric acid plants produce commercial industrial sulfuric acid; it’s just different. When sodium salts enter the sulfuric acid system and reach the incinerator, they can cause blockages in the subsequent waste boilers, affecting the operation of the facility. The project for producing acid from sulfur-containing waste liquids in conjunction with coking at Shandong Jinneng was successfully commissioned in one go! http://bbs.hcbbs.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1577885

I have also not encountered any hazards associated with sodium ions; I think they should end up remaining in the sulfuric acid products. I asked the personnel at Baosteel FRC, and it was found that heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury can be detected in the acid-production exhaust gases, although in very small quantities. The sulfuric acid produced by normal FRC acid production methods is of excellent quality, belonging to top-grade products. As for the production of low-quality sulfuric acid, finding a solution is a problem; moreover, too high a water content can affect the burning process.

Thank you both. Are there any cost-effective methods for sulfur purification? The water consumption for filtering and washing is estimated to be too high ； This sulfur is hydrophobic ； Or heat to melt the hydrated sulfur? I wonder if it can be separated from the water, and what is its purity level? Wastewater is still likely to be a problem.