Sulfuric Acid Market Report 2025

This Sulfuric Acid market report provides a comprehensive analysis of the market’s characteristics, size, and growth, including segmentation, regional and country-level breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends, and strategies. It also tracks historical and forecasted market growth across various geographies.

The sulfuric acid market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $16.17 billion in 2024 to $17.66 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to industrial revolution, fertilizer manufacturing, industrialization, infrastructure development, increased battery production.

The sulfuric acid market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $24.34 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to supply chain optimization, emerging market growth, energy sector shifts, global economic conditions, fertilizer production. Major trends in the forecast period include innovative industrial applications, chemical manufacturing, metallurgical processes, wastewater treatment, green initiatives.

The swift adoption of electric vehicles is anticipated to drive the growth of the sulfuric acid market in the coming years. An electric vehicle is a mode of transportation that operates on electricity, utilizing an electric motor powered by batteries or a fuel cell, in contrast to conventional vehicles that rely on gasoline or diesel engines. Sulfuric acid is essential for producing lead-acid batteries, which are primarily used in automobiles and electric vehicles, thus increasing the demand for sulfuric acid. For example, in April 2024, the International Energy Agency, a France-based intergovernmental organization, reported that in 2023, electric car sales reached nearly 14 million, representing about 18% of total car sales, up from 14% in 2022. Hence, the rapid adoption of electric vehicles in the region is fueling the growth of the sulfuric acid market.

The expanding agriculture sector is expected to enhance the growth of the sulfuric acid market in the future. The agriculture sector encompasses a wide array of activities, including land cultivation, crop raising and harvesting, and livestock rearing. The agriculture sector's reliance on sulfuric acid for fertilizer production and soil management highlights the critical role sulfuric acid plays in boosting crop productivity and ensuring food security. For instance, in February 2024, GOV.UK reported that in 2022, agriculture contributed $18.04 billion to the UK economy in Gross Value Added at basic prices, accounting for 0.6% of GDP. This represented an increase of $2.33 billion, or 15%, in GVA compared to 2021. Therefore, the growth of the agriculture sector is driving the expansion of the sulfuric acid market.

The expansion of production plants utilizing advanced technology has become a significant trend in the sulfuric acid market. Key companies in the sector are concentrating on establishing new sulfuric acid plants by leveraging innovative technologies to maintain their competitive edge. For example, in October 2022, Andritz AG, an Austria-based technology group, launched the world's first sulfuric acid plant for Klabin's Ortigueira mill in Brazil. This plant is capable of producing 150 metric tons of commercial-grade (>98%) sulfuric acid daily from concentrated odorous vapors and elemental sulfur. The technology used in this plant is based on Andritz's proprietary A-Recovery+ concept, allowing pulp mills to extract side streams from the pulping process and convert them into commercial products and commodities. This facility is part of Andritz's CircleToZero product line, which aims to eliminate waste byproducts, create new value-added products, and establish a foundation for zero-emissions, zero-waste production.

Leading companies in the sulfuric acid market are pursuing a strategic partnership approach to reduce their reliance on imported sulfuric acid in their downstream chemical operations. Strategic partnerships involve companies leveraging each other's strengths and resources for mutual benefit and success. For instance, in January 2023, Unigel, a Brazil-based chemical company, entered into a partnership with Elessent Clean Technologies, a US-based provider of process technologies. This collaboration aims to construct a new sulfuric acid plant to meet their downstream chemical needs, thereby replacing imported sulfuric acid. The new facility is planned to be located in the coastal state of Bahia. In alignment with sustainability principles, Unigel's facility is designed to generate utility steam, ensuring reliable and eco-friendly power for their industrial complex.

In May 2022, the WeylChem Group of Companies, a chemical manufacturing firm based in Germany, acquired INEOS Sulphur Chemicals Spain S.L.U. from INEOS Enterprises for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition underscores WeylChem's commitment to enhancing its role as a strategic partner in advanced intermediates and reagents, leveraging its robust manufacturing expertise, technical reliability, and timely production capabilities. INEOS Enterprises is a UK-based company involved in the sulfuric acid sector.

Sulfuric acid, denoted as H2SO4, is a potent and robust acid known for its hygroscopic and oxidizing properties, typically derived from sulfur dioxide. It is a colorless, strong dibasic acid with remarkable dehydrating abilities. Widely used across various industries, sulfuric acid plays a pivotal role in the production of industrial explosives, dyes, fertilizers, and electroplating processes.

The primary raw materials for producing sulfuric acid include elemental sulfur, pyrite ore, base metal smelters, among others. Elemental sulfur is a crystalline yellow substance insoluble in water and is commonly found as a deposit in volcanic regions, formed by the emission of hydrogen sulfide and subsequent oxidation of the element. Various forms of sulfuric acid exist, including concentrated, tower or Glover acid, chamber or fertilizer acid, battery acid, 66-degree Baume sulfuric acid, and dilute sulfuric acid. These forms vary in purity, with types ranging from standard to ultra-pure sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid serves diverse end-user industries such as fertilizer production, metal processing, pulp and paper manufacturing, petroleum refining, textile production, automotive manufacturing, chemical production, and others.

The sulfuric acid market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides sulfuric acid market statistics, including sulfuric acid industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a sulfuric acid market share, detailed sulfuric acid market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the sulfuric acid industry. This sulfuric acid market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

Major companies operating in the surfuric acid market report are Aurubis AG, BASF SE, Boliden AB, Canada Colors and Chemicals Limited, Cornerstone Chemical Company, Hubei Xingfa Chemicals Group Co. Ltd., Kanto Corporation., KMG Chemicals Inc., Linde PLC, Ma’aden - Saudi Arabian Mining Company, Nouryon B.V., PVS Chemicals Inc., Seastar Chemicals Inc., Tata Chemicals Limited, Trident Group, UBE Corporation, Akzo Nobel N.V., Chemstar Products Company, Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund, A Freeport-McMoRan Company, Covestro AG, EuroChem Group AG, Global Energy Commodity Resources, Grillo-Werke AG, Ineos Group Limited, J.M. Huber Corporation, McCain Foods Limited, Mosaic Company, Peabody Energy Corp., Potash Corporation, Praxair Inc., Solvay SA, Southern Copper Corporation.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the sulfuric acid market in 2023. The regions covered in the surfuric acid market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the surfuric acid market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The sulfuric acid market consists of sales of sulfur atom, iron sulphide, thiosulphuric acid and hydrogen. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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