the manufacturing of sulfuric acid and superphosphate

[tejal kamble]

This article highlights the manufacturing of sulfuric acid and superphosphate .To maintain a high level of animal and crop production,land usually requires the application of phosphate to supplement that occurring naturally. In New Zealand and Australia this is supplied mainly as superphosphate fertiliser. Superphosphate is manufactured by reacting insoluble phosphate rock with sulfuric acid to form a mixture of soluble mono-calcium phosphate and calcium sulphate which is able to be used by plants.

[Vishwanath Dalvi]

@Tejal:  What did you find interesting in this article?

[tejal kamble]

Sir,

the interesting part of this article is the manufacturing of superphosphate.

the following are the points that i found interesting :

1.as we all know that more sulphuric acid(by mass) is produced world wide than any other chemical, the industries manufacturing superphosphate uses H2SO4 as thier raw material.

2. the heat generated by exothermic reaction between molten sulphur and oxygen is removed in the waste heat boiler which produces steam which they in turn use for process heating and for producing electricity.

3.the environmental hazard like dust produced from grinding of phosphate rock is taken care by a dust collector.Also, the process evolves gaseous hydrofluosilicic acid from the reaction of hydrofluoric acid and silica which is then later removed by an Air Scrubber. we can see 3 Air Scrubbers in the process flow.(i have attached the pics of an air scrubber and a duist collector) 

[tejal kamble]

superphosphate is often used as a maintenance fertiliser, providing a pool of available phosphorus and sulphur in the soil for optimum pasture growth.The main nutrients in superphosphate fertiliser are:

• calcium (about 20%)
• sulfur (11–12%)
• phosphorus (9–10%).