Ferrous sulfate is produced as a co-product during ilmenite ore processing to produce titanium dioxide. The processing method is called sulfate process. In this process, ilmenite ore is treated with 60 % excess of concentrated sulfuric acid at a temperature of around 100 degree Celsius. Ferrous sulfate is removed in next stage. Ferrous sulfate is not soluble at low temperature, so the solution is cooled at around 15 degree Celsius. Ferrous sulfate crystal is formed, which is removed through filtration.
Market Dynamics
Ferrous sulfate is produced during acid recovery in steel pickling process. Spent pickle liquor (usually contains sulfuric acid) used in steel pickling process is used to produce ferrous sulfate during acid recovery process. During acid recovery process, the spent pickle liquor goes through a pre-filter and suspended particles are removed from the acid solution. The solution’s temperature is lowered. Iron present in solution forms ferrous sulfate crystals. The crystals formed are then removed from solution using a crystal settler.
Among product type, the anhydrous segment accounted for the largest revenue share in the global ferrous sulfate market in 2021. Anhydrous ferrous sulfate has several applications such as soil acidifying agent, turf culture as a moss killing agent and source of iron supplement in animals. Anhydrous ferrous sulfate is produced by reacting elemental iron with sulfuric acid to produce ferrous sulfate and hydrogen gas. Growing demand of anhydrous ferrous sulfate in several applications, it is expected to drive market growth of ferrous sulfate.
Among regions, increasing demand for iron oxide pigments in various end-use industries such as agriculture, pigments and others is expected to drive growth of the ferrous sulfate market in Europe. Ferrous sulfate is an important source of iron and is used to produce yellow, black, and red iron oxide pigments. Iron oxide pigments find application in various end-use industries such as coatings, inks & plastics, construction, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics. Growing cosmetics market in Europe is expected to increase demand for iron oxide pigments, which in turn is expected to drive market growth for ferrous sulfate.
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