Context
International sulphur prices have risen sharply, increasing India’s import burden. Apart from fertilisers, growing demand for sulphur is linked to metals processing, particularly nickel extraction for battery supply chains.
Explanation
- Sulphur (S) is a non-metal and an important industrial raw material; much of it is recovered as a by-product of petroleum refining and natural-gas processing.
- Its principal use is manufacture of sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄), a major industrial chemical.
- Sulphuric acid converts phosphate rock into phosphoric acid, which is crucial for manufacturing phosphatic fertilisers such as DAP and MAP.
- It is also used to manufacture ammonium sulphate and superphosphate fertilisers.
- In metallurgy, sulphuric acid is used in High-Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL) to extract nickel and cobalt from laterite ores; these metals are important for several rechargeable-battery chemistries.
- Other uses include rubber vulcanisation, fungicides, lead-acid batteries, chemical manufacturing and metal processing.
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