Scientists have warned that a lack of sulphuric acid might impede the development of green technology and imperil global food security.
According to academics, more intensive agriculture and the global transition away from fossil fuels to combat climate change will considerably diminish the output of fossil fuels and, consequently, the availability of sulfur.
The manufacturing of phosphorous fertilizers and the extraction of rare metals from ores, such as cobalt and nickel, which are used in high-performance lithium-ion batteries, necessitates the usage of sulphuric acid.
However, University College London (UCL) researchers predict that demand for sulphuric acid would increase from 246 to 400 million metric tonnes by 2040.
Currently, more than 80% of the world’s sulfur supply is derived from the desulphurization of crude oil and natural gas to reduce acid rain-causing sulfur dioxide gas emissions.
To combat climate change, more intensive agriculture and a global shift away from fossil fuels would dramatically diminish the output of fossil fuels and, consequently, the supply of sulfur, according to experts.
Depending on how soon decarbonization occurs, the researchers calculated a shortage in yearly supply between 100 and 320 million metric tonnes, or 40 to 130 percent of the present supply.
Professor Mark Maslin, the study’s principal author, stated, “As supplies of this inexpensive, abundant, and readily accessible form of sulfur dwindle, demand may be fulfilled by a large increase in the direct mining of elemental sulfur.
In comparison, this will be nasty, toxic, damaging, and costly.
Based on historical and projected demand, the researchers evaluated three demand scenarios for sulphuric acid from 2021 to 2040, with annual growth rates ranging from 1.8% to 2.4%.
They proposed several methods for meeting the demand for sulfur, such as recycling phosphorous in wastewater for use in the fertilizer industry, increasing the recycling of Li-ion batteries, and employing batteries with a lower energy capacity to weight ratio, which requires less sulfur for their production.
Prof. Maslin stated, “Immediate research is required to discover low-cost, environmentally friendly ways for extracting significant quantities of elemental sulfur from the abundant deposits of sulfate minerals in the Earth’s crust.”
“The international community should consider supporting and regulating sulfur mining to mitigate the transition’s negative effects and prevent unethical, low-cost production from distorting the market.”
The researchers also questioned whether it would make economic sense to invest in alternative sulfur production methods, given that it is currently impossible to predict how quickly the supply of sulfur as a byproduct of oil and gas desulphurization will decrease as decarbonization of the global economy commences.
Dr. Simon Day, a co-author of the study from UCL’s Institute for Risk & Disaster Reduction, stated, “Our concern is that the dwindling supply could lead to a transitional period in which green technology outbids the fertilizer industry for the limited, more expensive sulfur supply, posing a problem for food production in developing nations.”
