Amid disruption from the Iran war, China has banned exports of sulphuric acid, a crucial component used to treat drinking water, refine petroleum and make batteries, clothing and phosphate fertilisers.
  • Lvxferre [he/him]@mander.xyz
    8·
    3 小时前

    highly corrosive and combustible chemical or go without their key ingredient.

    Sulphuric acid is not combustible. I can go into details if anyone wants, but it’s mostly a fire hazard near most metals and burnable substances. This matters because, as long as properly stored, it offers no risk of fire, and proper storage isn’t hard to achieve. (e.g. carbon steel tanks if concentrated past 93%).

    And this shit goes every fucking where, from copper ore treatment to organic synthesis to fertiliser production. You can get a pretty good guess of the industrial capabilities of a place based on their sulphuric acid production. As such it’s no surprise China is banning exports.

    Relevant to note sulphuric acid is typically made from sulphur, and sulphur is typically obtained from petroleum and/or natural gas. That’s why the supply has become problematic.