Sulfur is a key ingredient in many fertilizers, thus a shortage could create an issue with food production.According to a recent study led by, a key chemical in our modern industrial society, might hinder the development of green technology and jeopardize global food security., increased agricultural productivity and the worldwide shift away from fossil fuels would cause the demand for sulfuric acid to increase considerably from “246 to 400 million metric tons” by 2040.
Over 80% of the world’s sulfur supply is now in the form of sulfur waste from the desulfurization of crude oil and natural gas, which minimizes sulfur dioxide gas emissions, that can cause acid rain. However, decarbonizing the global economy in response to climate change would dramatically diminish the output of fossil fuels – and therefore the supply of sulfur.
He continues, “Research is urgently needed to develop low-cost, low environmental impact methods of extracting large quantities of elemental sulfur from the abundant deposits of sulfate minerals in the Earth’s crust. The international community should consider supporting and regulating sulfur mining to minimize the impacts of the transition and also to avoid cheap unethical production from distorting the market.
The authors also investigate several ways that sulfur demand could be reduced as part of the transition to post-fossil fuel economies, such as recycling phosphorus in wastewater for the fertilizer industry, increasing lithium battery recycling, or using lower energy capacity/weight ratio batteries, which require less sulfur for production.
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