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Sulfuric Acid Molecular 3D Illustration

The most widely produced and used industrial chemical globally

  • Market Value

    +$15B

    Sulfuric Acid

  • Growth

    +20%

    Sulfuric Acid Growth by 2030

  • Volume

    +260 M

    MT / Sulfuric acid per year

Travertine Sulfuric Acid Product

Benefits

Applications

In copper heap leaching, sulfuric acid acts as a powerful lixiviant that chemicaly dissolves copper from oxide and some sulfide ores. This process begins by spraying a dilute sulfuric acid solution over large heaps of crushed ore. As the acid percolates through the pile, it reacts with copper minerals to form a water-soluble copper sulfate solution, known as the pregnant leach solution (PLS). The PLS is then collected at the base of the heap for downstream solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX-EW), where pure copper cathodes are produced.

Application Highlights

  • Lithium

    Sulfuric Acid is used to extract lithium from spodumene ore.

  • Rare Earths

    Sulfuric Acid is used to extract rare earths from REE rich ore.

  • Nickel

    Sulfuric Acid is used to extract nickel from laterite ores.

  • Copper

    Sulfuric Acid is used to extract copper from copper oxide and sulfide ores.