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Sulfuric acid is one of the world’s largest-volume industrial chemicals.
The production of phosphate fertilizer materials, especially wet-process phosphoric
acid, is the major end-use market for sulfuric acid, accounting for nearly
55% of total world consumption. The balance is consumed in a wide variety of
industrial and technical applications. Apparent world sulfuric acid consumption
increased by about 29% between 1985 and 2005 despite a 20% decline between
1988 and 1993. A moderate increase of about 2.6% is forecast for the 2005–2010
period, assuming reasonable growth in the current global economic situation.
Socialist Asia is the major market, accounting for 23% of world consumption
in 2005, followed by the United States, which consumed about 20%. Africa, the
former USSR, Central/South America and Western Europe are also large users,
each accounting for around 10% of world consumption. Major declines have occurred
in the former USSR, Western Europe and Eastern Europe since the late 1980s.
A further decline is projected for Western Europe, while a healthy recovery
is forecast for the former USSR and Eastern Europe. Major increases occurred
in Socialist Asia, Africa, Southeast Asia, Central/South America, Southwest
Asia and the Middle East between 1985 and 2005. World sulfuric acid consumption
in 2005 was about 190 million metric tons of product with an estimated fob
value of about $10 billion.
The following pie chart shows world consumption of sulfuric acid in 2005:
World production and apparent consumption fluctuated between 1985 and 1997.
In recent years, the production level has been exhibiting a marginal upward
trend. Production and consumption peaked in 1988 and bottomed out in 1993.
Total volume has increased by over 40% since 1993 and has surpassed the 1988
level. It is expected to increase by 13% during the forecast period, assuming
no major global economic events. The proportion of world production that enters
international trade is small, but has doubled to about 5% since 1985.
Increased recovery of by-product sulfuric acid at smelters has had a significant
impact on the industry, leading to increased trade in sulfuric acid (since
by-product producers are not necessarily located near acid markets) and forcing
some sulfur-burning plants to close. One portion of the sulfuric acid business
that has grown as a result of environmental restrictions is the portion that
regenerates sulfuric acid.
Global demand for sulfuric acid is projected to rise at an annual rate of
about 2.6% in the next five years. Fertilizer demand for sulfuric acid is estimated
to grow at about 2.4%. Nonfertilizer sulfuric acid demand will come mostly
from nickel operations.
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