Topic > Basic Uses of Sulfuric Acid

Basic uses include fertilizer production, mineral processing, wastewater treatment, petroleum refining, and chemical synthesis. Sulfuric acid is used for a wide range of purposes both domestically and industrially. Sulfuric acid is used in the production of: Drain cleaners Detergents Synthetic resins Pharmaceuticals Petroleum catalysts Insecticides Antifreeze Batteries Pigments such as paints, enamels and printing inks. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Household uses: Sulfuric acid at higher concentrations is often the main ingredient in acidic drain cleaners used to remove grease, protein, grease, hair, etc. Besides this, being a strong dehydrating agent, it can also remove tissue paper through the dehydration process. Because the acid reacts vigorously with water, such drain devices must be carefully added into the pipe to free it. Industrial uses: Industrial production of chemicals: The main use of sulfuric acid is the production of phosphoric acid, which is used for the production of phosphate fertilizers. The raw material is treated with sulfuric acid to produce calcium sulfate, hydrogen uroride (HF) and phosphoric acid. Ca5F(PO4)3 + 5 H2SO4 + 10 H2O ? 5 CaSO4 2 H2O + HF + 3 H3PO4 Another key use of sulfuric acid is the production of aluminum sulfate, which can react with soap on paper pulp fibers to convert them into aluminum carboxylates, which aid in the coagulation of pulp fibers in a hard paper surface. Sulfur-Iodine Cycle: The sulfur-iodine cycle is a chain of thermochemical processes that is used to produce hydrogen. It consists of three chemical reactions. Sulfur and iodine compounds are recovered and reused.2 H2SO4 ? 2 SO2 + 2 H2O + O2 (830 °C)I2 + SO2 + 2 H2O ? 2 HI + H2SO4 (120 °C)2 HI ? I2 + H2 (320°C) Industrial Cleaner: Sulfuric acid is used in large quantities by the steel and cast iron industries to remove rust, oxidation, and scale from billet and rolled plate prior to sale. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can be added to sulfuric acid to produce piranhasolution, a powerful cleaning solution that is usually used in the microelectronics industry and also for cleaning glassware in laboratories. Catalyst: Sulfuric acid is the typical acid catalyst for the conversion of cyclohexanone oxymeth, used for the production of nylon. It is also used in electrophilic aromatic sulfonation and nitration. Sulfuric acid is also often used as a dehydrating or oxidizing agent in industrial reactions, such as the dehydration of various sugars to form solid carbon. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Electrolyte : Sulfuric acid acts as an electrolyte in lead-acid batteries: At the anode: Pb + SO42- ? PbSO4 + 2 e-Al cathode: PbO2 + 4 H+ + SO42- + 2 e- ? PbSO4 + 2 H2O Overall: Pb + PbO2 + 4 H+ + 2 SO42- ? 2 PbSO4 + 2 H2OGHINA MUMTAZ AL