Issues of the Impact of Granulated Sulfur Transportation on the Environmental Components

Abstract

Nowadays, sulfur is considered one of the primary resources of the chemical industry, most of which is produced as a refinery by-product during the processing of oil and natural gas. Sulfur production volumes are increasing every year, while the demand for it does not always match the growing supply, which leads to a serious problem of sulfur surplus in the world market. Granulated sulfur -the main commercial type of elemental sulfur -is transported in large quantities both by land and sea and can have a negative impact on the environment. At the moment, the issue of the negative impact of granulated sulfur on the environment has not been fully studied, which determines the relevance of this research. This review article presents the global market of granulated sulfur, paying attention to its safe transport -from the producer to the consumer. The potentially harmful factors of the impact of sulfur handling on elements of the natural environment, such as atmospheric air, water reservoirs, soil and vegetation, were also taken into account.

Adhesives Made from Sulfur Copolymer Composites Reinforced with Recycled Carbon Fiber

“…6 However, the usage of sulfur for these applications does not meet the current production rates, resulting in megaton-scale stockpiles of sulfur. 7 The powder form of sulfur inherently limits its applications, although polymerization of sulfur has been explored for producing a usable sulfur material. 8,9 However, homopolymeric sulfur obtained through thermally induced ring-opening polymerizations is a brittle material that is known to depolymerize back into its thermodynamically stable S 8 ring.…”

“…Conventionally, these stockpiles have found use in various applications such as, of sulfuric acid, vulcanized rubber, sulfur-based fertilizers, and pesticides . However, the usage of sulfur for these applications does not meet the current production rates, resulting in megaton-scale stockpiles of sulfur …”

“…(A) Above-ground storing of sulfur and its transport using railway wagons with a capacity of 60–80 tons; (B) method for synthesizing sulfur-based polymers using elemental sulfur through inverse vulcanization.…”

Catalytic Purification of Sulfur from Bituminous Impurity

“…Iraqi extracted sulfur from the Mishraq mine is different from other extracted crude sulfur in the world in terms that it is contaminated with about 1% [1] of heavy bituminous material which represents an obstacle toward traditionally applied purification methods of sulfur. In the Mishraq mine [2], sulfur is extracted from underground by the Frasch process, and that causes the blending of sulfur with interfering bitumen. Consequently, the extracted crude sulfur from the Mishraq field requires the use of an unconventional purification method to get rid of the bituminous impurity.…”

Rational disposal of sulfur-containing waste

“…Соединения серы оказывают крайне негативное влияние на технологические свойства и экологические характеристики добываемых углеводородов, поэтому в процессе переработки серосодержащие примеси из соответствующего сырья удаляют. Рост объёмов добычи углеводородов и ужесточение экологических норм и требований к содержанию в нём сернистых соединений неизбежно приводят к увеличению объёмов извлекаемой S 0 и формированию некоторого избытка этого продукта на рынке [2]. Образующиеся на предприятиях запасы S 0 часто хранятся на открытых площадках (серных картах) [3,4], что приводит к смешиванию серы и грунта.…”