Is a potential resource crisis about to threaten food security
The date of：
2022-09-05
viewed:
30
Short on sulphur: Is a potential resource crisis about to threaten food security and stifle green technology?
A NEW study by researchers at UCL suggests that supplies of sulphuric acid, a vital ingredient used in the production of a wide variety of items could face a global shortage as industries turn to decarbonisation to fight climate change. Despite being extremely corrosive and toxic, as well as carcinogenic, sulphuric acid is so widespread that a significant number of manufacturing processes currently depend on it. Everything from phosphorus fertiliser, nylon, synthetic rubbers, drugs, aluminium production, nuclear fuel processing, to the extraction, processing, and refining of a range of metals all rely on the use of sulphuric acid. Over 246 m t of sulfuric acid are used annually, and this figure is set to rise as global agriculture intensifies and green technologies become more established. Ironically, however, as the world looks to end its reliance on fossil fuels and become more sustainable, researchers at University College London (UCL) say industries are overlooking a potentially huge problem – a sulfuric acid shortage . That’s because over 80% of the global sulphur supply comes from the desulphurisation of crude oil and natural gas that reduces the SO2 gas emissions. With a reduction in fossil fuels production, will come a reduction in sulphuric acid production and this could create a shortfall as large as 320 m t by 2040, or 130% of present-day production, the team at UCL said. It’s a shortage that could have as many connotations as sulphuric acid’s uses, especially when it comes to low-carbon technologies, such as high-performance batteries, light-weight motors for vehicles, and solar panels, as they all rely on sulphuric acid in the manufacturing process. Incidentally, this scenario could lead to a transition period “when green tech outbids the fertiliser industry for the limited more expensive sulphur supply, creating an issue with food production”, warn the researchers in their paper. When extraction from fossil fuels is no longer viable, sulphuric acid supplies are likely to topped up from mining instead, which by contrast, “will be dirty, toxic, destructive, and expensive”, said study lead author, Mark Maslin at UCL. “Sulphur shortages have occurred before, but what makes this different is that the source of the element is shifting away from being a waste product of the fossil fuel industry”, Maslin said. Claiming to be the first to identify this major issue, the researchers go on to say that the international community should consider supporting and regulating sulphur mining. This will minimise the impacts of the transition, and also “avoid cheap unethical production from distorting the market.” There are abundant deposits of sulphate minerals in the Earth’s crust, the team said, but what we need now is research to develop low-cost, and low environmental impact methods to extract it as current processes consume a lot of energy and emit a lot of CO2. Along with more sustainable mining methods, the researchers suggest a number of ways to help mitigate against the problem, such as recycling. This includes sources from sewage and other waste; lithium batteries; and by using bacteria to recycle sulphur from salts produced in processes that use sulphuric acid.. Finding alternatives to sulphuric acid is another possibility. Replacing sulphuric acid with nitric acid could be an option, while inventing new more powerful batteries and motors that are less reliant on nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements could reduce demand. However, the researchers acknowledge that changes to industrial processes to accommodate new procedures have to make financial and environmental sense. Whatever the way forward is, by recognising the sulphur crisis now, “we can develop national and international policies to manage future sulphur demand, increase resource recycling, and develop alternative cheap supplies which have minimal environmental and social impact”, the researchers conclude.
Hot News
/
Related to recommend
2026
-
10
-
22
Click on the number of times:
0
Mechanisms of rare earth element and aluminum leaching with magnesium sulfate based on coupled seepage–chemical–diffusion simulations in microporous networks来源：Science DirectIn situ leaching of ionic ...
2026
-
10
-
22
Click on the number of times:
0
来源：Science DirectRare-earth mono-nitrides (REN) are important rare-earth compounds whose structural stability and electronic structure are strongly influenced by localized 4f states. In this work, a f...
2026
-
10
-
21
Click on the number of times:
0
来源: Science DirectThe reason for the higher extraction rate of light rare earth elements (LREY) than that of heavy rare earth elements (HREY) during the extraction of rare earth elements (REY) from co...
2026
-
10
-
20
Click on the number of times:
0
来源：ACS Publications High-quality single crystals of refractory oxides are essential for fundamental investigations and advanced functional characterization, yet their preparation is frequentl...