Frasch sulfur major producers

There are only six major producers of sulfur by the Frasch... 

Figure 2. U.S. Frasch sulfur estimated past and projected production costs by major producer ...

The majority of elementary sulfur is produced as a by-product of petroleum and natural gas processing and only 4% comes from native sources [mainly native mined elemental sulfur from China and extracted sulfur (Frasch process) from underground deposits in Poland]. 

The War protected Europe from Frasch sulfur and global demand surged. Even so, this was a diffrcult year for the industry. Labor trouble and restrictions on fuel supply depressed production. In 1918, the term of COISS was renewed. After the war, the Sicilian industry was back on hard times. Trans-Atlantic vessel rates dropped, allowing the U.S. Frasch producers to be even more competitive in Europe. The two major markets, Britain and France, had switched mainly to American product. In 1921, the Italian government intervened to save the Mtering business, a feature that the Sicilian sulfur industry would henceforth be dependent upon to survive. 

The 1989 world production of sulfur in all forms is given in Table 14.1 by region and for major producing countries. Recovered sulfur accounted for 63 percent of brimstone production in 1989. Most of the recovered sulfur was derived from sour gas wells in Canada, the Soviet Union, and the United States. U.S. oil refineries recovered nearly 4 million tons of sulfur from the hydrotreating of sour crudes. Canadian tar-sands comprise the major source of other recovered sulfur production. Frasch and open pit mines in... 

Sulfur is a, relatively abundant element, occurring as an impurity in many metal ores and fossil fuels. It also occurs in relatively pure form from which it can be mined via the Frasch process. Until recently Frasch mining was the major source of supply in the world with the largest producers being the U.S., Mexico and Poland. In the late 1960 s, recovery of sulfur as a by-product from "cleaning" operations began to accelerate rapidly. Sulfur recovery from... 

In 1879, MMPC wanted Frasch to look at the manufacture of alkali. The petroleum industry, including Standard Oil, were major consumers, but there was no domestic supply (the Leblanc process never operated in North American and the first Solvay plant was not built until 1884 in Syracuse, NY). Frasch focused on improving the basic Solvay route to produce alkali. He may have first learned about the process at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, where Solvay displayed their state-of-the-art technology (a Sicilian sulfur display was... 

Adding to their woes, the largest sulfur market, the manufacture of sulfuric acid, had disappeared in the U.S. When Frasch had filed his patent over 80% of the rapidly growing American sulfuric acid industry used elemental sulfur as its raw material. By 1901, 85% of the industry had switched to pyrites. The only major acid producers using elemental sulfur were Kalbfleisch (later purchased by Cyanamid in 1929) and Grasselli Chemical Company of Cleveland. Most of the sales of Union Sulfur had been through Petit Parsons in New York City for resale. Other shipments were made to a sulfite pulp mill in Wisconsin and fertilizer manufacturer in Meridian, MS. 

The problem was that demand was fickle and production, oblivious to sulfur markets, just kept on increasing. There was some movement among Frasch producers. With the lower price, many Frasch mines in the U.S. closed. In 1971, the number was down to thirteen. While there was a major decline in the number of U.S. Frasch mines, there was only a nominal impact on production as the closures were generally smaller mines. Over 70% of the production came from the five largest mines. 

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