CHE.04 Sulfuric Acid Production: Sheetrock Feedstock Pilot Plant
Team Members Heading link
- Konrad Babinski
- Bartosz Guzy
- Abigail Hartzell
- Safiy Khan
Project Description Heading link
Sulfuric acid is one of the most widely chemical in industry, from use in the production of various chemicals to use in petroleum refineries. Most commonly, sulfuric acid is used in fertilizers, with more than half of the volume share of the sulfuric acid market allocated to this industry. The goal of the proposed pilot plant is to produce sulfuric acid in a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and financially viable method. Alternative feedstock methods to those commonly used in industry will be researched, designed, and implemented to meet these goals. Sheet Rock, also known as drywall, is a very common building material. Found in almost all houses, offices, warehouses, and many more types of buildings. It is comprised of mostly calcium sulfate dihydrate, known more commonly as gypsum. Due to its disposability in construction and demolition projects, large amounts of sheetrock are found in landfills. Because of the amount of gypsum in the sheetrock, many attempts to increase the use of the material have been made. One of the more useful attempts is using the gypsum found in sheetrock as an agricultural fertilizer. The goal of the process is to recycle the sheetrock waste and give it new a purpose, to be used as a sulfuric acid source.