Uses of Liquid Sulfur

At room temperature, sulfur is a soft, solid yellow substance. However, when heated to extreme temperatures, specifically 120 degrees Fahrenheit, sulfur becomes a thick liquid with a straw-like color. With more heat applied, it becomes slicker and darker in color. This liquid form of sulfur is used in a number of products, both household and industrial.

Sulfuric Acid

• Liquid sulfur is one of the main ingredients in the acidic industrial chemical sulfuric acid. The sulfur in liquid sulfur can be derived from a number of chemical processes, including melting pure sulfur and combining it with oxygen or heating a chemical with sulfur already in it, such as iron sulfide. Sulfuric acid is a very corrosive, and thus dangerous, chemical that is used as an ingredient in many products from pharmaceuticals to batteries.

Fertilizer

• Fertilizers use molten sulfur as a main ingredient. Often this molten sulfur will be mixed with other chemicals to create sulfuric acid, which is then sent through processing with a number of other chemicals to make the end product of fertilizer. Throughout the process, the liquid sulfur must be kept at extremely high temperatures to ensure it does not begin to crystallize.

Batteries

• Sodium-sulfur batteries, also known as NaS batteries, use molten sulfur at the positive electrode. The negative electrode uses liquid sodium. Sodium-sulfur batteries are known to be highly efficient and are often found in many home appliances such as electric shavers.