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Sulphur products
Environmental concerns — including cleaner fuel regulations — mean hydrocarbon products must contain less sulphur than ever. So working out how to deal with growing stocks of the bright yellow chemical is vital to the success of any major new project.
Qatar’s giant North Field contains sulphur and to handle it the country is building one of the world’s largest sulphur processing plants in its industrial zone, Ras Laffan. Once up and running it will be able to receive 12,000 tonnes of sulphur per day, enough to fill a two-kilometre long cargo train. Sulphur will be extracted in liquid form from natural gas that flows into multiple gas plants in Ras Laffan. The common sulphur facility will convert it into solid granules for temporary storage and shipping to markets around the world.
Sulphur is a feedstock for hydrosulphuric acid, one of the most important chemicals used in industrial processes. It is used increasingly in the fertilizer industry and is widely used in the pharmaceuticals and steel industries.
New and improved uses for sulphur
One of the most promising new uses for sulphur comes from a Shell-patented technology that adds microscopic sulphur particles to fertilizers. Sulphur Thiogro technology enables plants to more easily absorb sulphur — a vital nutrient for many crops — from fertilizer. The benefits of more effective sulphur use in fertilizer could be significant: tests on crops by Shell and the Sulphur Institute in the USA showed it can increase yields by 14% on average in sulphur deficient soils.
Another use for sulphur could be in the construction industry. For example, adding sulphur pellets to asphalt makes road surfaces more durable and resistant to extreme high and low temperatures. Shell has developed this under the name Shell Thiopave. Another potential building product is a sulphur concrete that is more durable than regular cement concrete, called Shell Thiocrete. Producing sulphur concrete is less energy intensive than producing traditional concrete and no water is needed in mixing it. Such innovative new sulphur products show there are plenty of potential ways to put this by-product to good use.
