Green transition set to put pressure on sulphur supply

Published by University College London in The Geographical Journal, the work outlines how global demand for sulphuric acid is set to rise from 246 to 400 million tonnes by 2040. This increase is expected to be fuelled by the expansion of agriculture - where sulphuric acid is used in the manufacture of phosphorous fertilisers - and of mineral processing, where it is vital for extracting metals such as cobalt and nickel that are central to Li-ion batteries.  

Currently, more than 80 per cent of the world’s sulphur supply comes from the oil and gas industry, where it is essentially a waste product. Removing sulphur from these fossil fuels helps minimise sulphur dioxide emissions, which cause acid rain. Decarbonisation should correlate to a shrinking of the oil and gas sector and therefore a reduction in the amount of sulphur produced via this channel. The researchers predict an annual shortfall of between 100 and 320 million tonnes, depending on how quickly decarbonisation takes place.