By some measure the most widely produced chemical in the world today, sulfuric acid has an extraordinary range of modern uses, including phosphate fertilizer production, explosives, glue, wood preservative and lead-acid batteries. An exceptionally corrosive and dangerous acid, production of sulfuric acid requires stringent adherence to environmental regulatory guidance within cost-efficient standards of production.

This work provides an experience-based review of how sulfuric acid plants work, how they should be designed and how they should be operated for maximum sulfur capture and...