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William K. Rouleau, Merichem Company, USA, discusses the need for controlling sulfur impurities in order to prevent contamination and to improve the efficiency of end user products.
ossil fuels, formed from organic material over the course of millions of years, are the most widely used energy sources in the world. As an overall share of energy consumption, oil sits on top of the spectrum at 33% of all energy consumption. Natural gas ranks third at 24%. In all, fossil fuels represent 82% of the world’s energy needs. Acidic in nature, sulfur is one of the most common and undesirable impurities present in crude oil. Sulfur
compounds tend to deactivate some catalysts used in refining process units and can cause corrosion problems in pipeline, pumping, and refining equipment. Sulfur levels in automotive fuels also impairs the effectiveness of emission control systems which can lead to the sulfur oxide gases in the air. When those gases react with water in the atmosphere, they form sulfates and acid rain that can cause damage to buildings, destroy automotive paint finishes, acidify HYDROCARBON 47
ENGINEERING
September 2021
