Sulfur mining

The sulfiu can be piped long distances in liquid form or transported molten in ships, barges or rail cars. Alternatively it can be prilled or bandied as nuggets or chunks. Despite the vast bulk of liquid sulfur mined by the Frasch process it is obtained in very pure form. There is virtually no selenium, tellurium or arsenic impurity, and the product is usually 99.5-99.9% pure. ... 

Schwefel-gold, n. gold sulfide, -grube,/. sulfur pit, sulfur mine, -halogen, n. sulfur halide. 

Sulfur for commercial purposes is derived mainly from native elemental sulfur mined by the Frasch process. Large quantities of sulfur are also recovered from the roasting of metal sulfides and the refining of crude oil, i.e., from the sulfur by-products of purified sour natural gas and petroleum (the designation sour is generally associated with high-sulfur petroleum products). Reserves of elemental sulfur in evaporite and volcanic deposits and of sulfur associated with natural gas,... 

Frasch (1) A process for extracting sulfur from underground deposits, developed by H. Frasch between 1890 and 1902 at Sulfur Mine, LA. Three concentric pipes are inserted into a hole drilled into the deposit. The outermost pipe carries water superheated to 140 to 165°C, which melts the sulfur hot air is forced down the central pipe, which forces the molten sulfur up through the intermediate annular space. Only a small proportion of sulfur deposits have the appropriate geology for extraction in this way. Because of this invention, sulfur came to be exported from America to Europe, instead of from Sicily to America. In 1991 the process was operated in the United States, Mexico, Poland, and Iraq. 

Ammonit N a 8, Ammonit /Vo g— PV. Ammonit A P-1. Ammonit A P-2, Ammonit AP-2PV, Ammonit AP-5ZbV, Semyi Ammonit No 1 and Semyi Ammonit No 2 (for use in sulfur mines) Ammonit No 6, Ammonit No 7, Ammonit No 7-PV, Ammonit V-3, Ammonit No 6ZbV, Ammonit No 7 ZhV, Ammonit, Skal nyi (Rock) No J, Ammonit, Skal nyi No 1 ZbV, Ammonit No 6-PKVi Ammonit No 7-PKV, Ammonit No 9, Ammonit No 10 and Ammonit PZhV-20... 

Giorgio (Ref 8, p 176) calls them esplosivi quelli avvolti in un mantello di sali refrigeranti 1 (Explosives which are wrapped up in a mantel of cooling salts). Accdg to Belgrano (Ref 3, p 167) and Vettori (Ref 7), the materials of Ital sheaths have been Ca fluoride and Ca sulfate or Na bicarbonate. These expls found wide use in sulfur mines of Sicily... 

Esplosivi con guaina (Sheathed Explosives). Accdg to Dr Camillo Belgrano of Codroipo (Udine), as communicated to Dr Omero Vet-tori of Aulla (Massa Carrara), Italian sheaths consist of mixts of Ca fluoride and sulfate with Na bicarbonate. These expls have been used in Sicilian sulfur mines Ref Dr Omero Vettori, private communications July I and August 17,(1964)... 

Despite the economically driven closure of the Main Pass 299 sulfur mine in 2000, just eight years after initial output, the Frasch process remains the most economical method for extracting sulfur from native deposits. Certain constraints on the geological formations required for the Frasch process limit its use to deposits along the Gulf of Mexico, in Poland, in the Former Soviet Union, and in Iraq. Other sulfur deposits may yield to the Frasch process but they have marginal economics. Figure 25.2 shows the structure... 

Although most U.S. Frasch mines were located inland, Freeport Sulfur Company pioneered offshore sulfur mining in the 1960s.15 The company utilized offshore oil drilling techniques to access several shallow water deposits. Developing a means to utilize saltwater to provide heated mine water presented the company with unique challenges in corrosion and scaling control. This now defunct facility, located in 200 ft of water 10 miles from the Mississipi Delta, commenced production in 1992 and closed in 2000. 

C SM — Coal Sulfur Mines OM — Open Mines Only... 

One of the most important developments in sulfur mining was the development of the Frasch process which allowed it to be extracted from salt domes, particularly along the US Gulf Coast. Herman Frasch became involved in oil and sulfur mining and invented a process which allows liquid sulfur to be recovered with injection wells. Water at 330 °C is injected through wells into formations. The molten sulfur is extracted in a very pure form. It is an efficient method for mining sulfur, but the process can also produce saline wastewaters, increases in pH levels, and a high concentration of dissolved salts such as sodium chloride (TWRI, 1986). 

Sulfur mining. The most common method of mining S is by the Frasch superheated water method, invented about 1900. Four concentric pipes are inserted into the deposit dome. Hot water is forced by compressed air into... 

R.H. Aldabbagh and M. Aldabbagh, Environmental Effects of Wastewater Emanation from Sulfur Mining..., Water Sci. Technol. 24(11), 181-187 (1991). 

Table 1 shows a selection of the major inorganic chemicals that are produced in annual quantities of many millions of tonnes. Substances made in comparable amounts that are not listed include fuels and organic chemicals produced from petroleum, and construction metals such as iron. In many cases the basic chemical reactions used to produce the compounds in Table 1 are simple, although catalysts are often required (see Topic J5). The design of processes to make the most economical use of energy and raw materials, and to minimize polluting wastes, is, however, not straightforward. The raw materials needed include air (for N2 and 02), sulfur (mined as native S or obtained from... 

---