Agenda

Explore a groundbreaking solution for acid purification and concentration. This presentation introduces Via Separations' ultra stable graphene oxide membranes, a first-of-its-kind technology for chemical separation. Learn how these membranes are enabling cost-effective recycling of alkylation catalysts and other acidic streams, offering significant savings and environmental benefits. Discover the potential of this technology in refining, mining, and acid production.

Unlock the potential for significant cost savings and improved performance in your sulphuric acid plant. This presentation showcases innovative solutions for optimising the wear life of your equipment. Discover how high-efficiency products, refurbishments, and specially developed materials for corrosive-abrasive services can extend the lifetime of your components, reduce capital costs, and provide a competitive edge. Learn how to enhance your plant's reliability without modifying your existing equipment.

Worley Chemetics

Sulfuric acid plants are among the largest energy-producing assets within the industry. While significant attention has been given to improving plant efficiency and heat recovery, their potential role as enabling infrastructure for green hydrogen production has received limited attention. At the same time, producers are under increasing pressure to decarbonise operations, integrate renewable energy, and reduce dependence on natural gas-based hydrogen. P&P Industries AG presents a novel integration concept combining sulfuric acid production with Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) technology and electrochemical sulfur dioxide conversion. The approach utilizes the substantial thermal energy available from sulfuric acid plants to provide high-temperature steam, process heat, and electrical power for hydrogen production. In parallel, oxygen generated by the SOEC system is returned to the sulfuric acid plant, enabling oxygen-enriched operation.

Gain practical insights and technical guidance on the major maintenance of conversion systems in sulphuric acid plants. This presentation provides a systematic approach to diagnosing equipment issues, analysing root causes, and developing effective maintenance plans. Based on extensive experience, this session will help you achieve full capacity and compliance targets after major maintenance, ensuring the long-term safe and stable operation of your plant.

Introducing a patented Silicon Carbide system revolutionizing sulphuric acid concentration. Operating above 300°C at ambient-to-high pressure—no vacuum required—it delivers up to six effects and cuts energy consumption by 25%. The innovative SIC column pushes concentrations beyond 96%, decomposing impurities at 350–500°C. Result: smaller footprint, lower capex and OPEX, faster ROI. Experience it in our container-based pilot plant.

Protect your sulphuric acid assets and ensure safer, longer-lasting operation with advanced surface protection and reliability strategies. This presentation explores real-world case studies on corrosion prevention, advanced lining systems, and predictive inspection methods. Learn how an integrated approach across engineering, operations, and maintenance can help you reduce downtime, extend asset life, and improve the total cost of ownership for your production facilities.

Experience the future of process control with a live demonstration of SensoTech's LiquiSonic measurement technology. This session will showcase how continuous, real-time concentration measurement can revolutionise the safety, stability, and efficiency of your sulphuric acid and oleum processes. Discover how this advanced inline analytical solution provides the data you need for modern plant operation, helping you to achieve safer, more stable, and more profitable production.

This presentation makes the case for small modular plants (100–250 MTPD) as a strategic solution for smaller or remote consumers facing logistical and cost challenges. Through a case study of a Brazilian mining company’s 150 MTPD plant, discover how on-site production offers greater flexibility, reduces dependency on external supply chains, and improves overall production efficiency and business autonomy.

With the trend toward larger-scale megaton sulfuric acid plants, the selection of steam parameters for waste heat boilers has become central to improving power generation efficiency. Traditional medium-pressure parameters (3.82 MPa, 450°C) result in high specific steam consumption for power generation and are gradually being replaced by sub-high-pressure (6.3 MPa, 450°C) and high-pressure (9.8 MPa, 540°C) configurations. Increasing the steam pressure significantly reduces the turbine’s specific steam consumption, leading to a substantial increase in net power output under the same thermal load.

Get an exclusive project update on the first grassroots sulphuric acid plant built in North America in 15 years. This presentation covers the Lithium Americas project, a game-changing facility set to supply the battery market. Hear about the real-world challenges, lessons learned during engineering, and the latest construction progress on this landmark plant, which is projected for startup in late 2027.

This Case Study provides an overview of events showing detection of a tube leak in a sulfuric acid plant 72 hours before traditional methodology.

Follow the complete project lifecycle of a new gas cleaning plant at the Aurubis Hamburg Copper Smelter. This case study details the journey from concept to commissioning of a plant designed to treat challenging offgas from a secondary smelter converter. Gain valuable real-world insights into the design choices and operational details required to protect sulphuric acid quality when processing complex recycling materials and internal intermediates.

Learn how the Ilo Copper Smelter optimised its newly modernised double-absorption acid plant to meet stringent environmental targets. This case study details a multi-faceted approach using process simulation, statistical analysis, and on-site sampling to identify and resolve operational constraints, including SO₂ desorption phenomena. Discover the specific operational adjustments and process modifications that successfully reduced SO₂ emissions to levels below 350 ppmv.

This presentation unveils key findings from a measurement campaign on Metso’s DeNOx module, which demonstrated high conversion of incoming NOx load. It also introduces the development of an inline UV-Vis monitoring system for nitrosyl sulphuric acid. This innovation aims to replace hazardous manual sampling with continuous, real-time data, leading to improved process diagnostics, more stable operation, and better control for regulatory compliance.

Witness the next evolution in converter performance with BASF’s X3D® catalyst technology. This session explores how additive manufacturing is used to create catalysts with optimised geometries, delivering a substantially increased surface area and a significantly reduced pressure drop. Learn how this cutting-edge approach improves SO2 to SO3 conversion, lowers blower energy consumption, and unlocks new levels of productivity and resource efficiency for your sulphuric acid plant.

This study uses SEM, MIP, XRF, and other advanced techniques to compare a new cesium-promoted catalyst, VCs-Plus, against a reference catalyst. The VCs-Plus showed a wider pore size distribution and better active component dispersibility. In industrial-scale side-line simulation tests, VCs-Plus achieved a 3.9% higher conversion rate than the reference catalyst at 370°C, demonstrating significantly improved low-temperature activity and superior catalytic performance across the entire reaction temperature range.

Topsoe introduces a new catalyst specifically engineered to maximise conversion in the lean gas conditions found in the lower passes of a sulphuric acid plant. Building on the performance of VK38+, this bed-specific optimisation can significantly improve overall plant conversion. Industrial data from the first full-scale references will be presented, demonstrating benefits that include halving emissions, reducing scrubber chemical consumption, and increasing plant capacity while maintaining compliance.

The presentation introduces SulfoMax EV, a patented catalyst that redefines the limits of SO2 conversion by operating at a low inlet temperature of 360°C. This creates a larger temperature differential for improved heat recovery and moves the reaction closer to equilibrium. Lab tests show it has 10 times higher activity at 360°C than a high-cesium benchmark, enabling new plant configurations for enhanced energy extraction and lower emissions.

Predicting Service Life: Creep Assessment for Converter Components In sulphuric acid converters operating at 400–650°C, creep is a primary failure mechanism. This paper details how to perform a creep-based service life assessment using advanced methods like API 579 Omega creep-specific finite element analysis (FEA). By evaluating a component in the hottest converter zone, the analysis estimates time to rupture and theoretical service life, accounting for startups, shutdowns, and temperature variations to prevent premature failure.

Learn how this cost-effective alloy outperforms competitors like Sanicro 28, offering enhanced reliability and a robust solution for applications involving high-chloride cooling water, including seawater.The Super Duplex Solution for Sulphuric Acid Explore SAF 3006 (UNS S83071), a new super duplex stainless steel engineered for superior performance in sulphuric acid heat exchangers. With a high PREN of 46, it provides exceptional resistance to general and localised corrosion in both high (≥98%) and low (<30%) acid concentrations.

This presentation details advanced methods for repairing brick-lined units from the outside with only partial internal access, a critical capability for minimizing downtime. It covers the use of acid-resistant lined prefabricated parts, such as nozzles, to address common failure points caused by incorrect material selection or installation. This approach reduces shutdown time, lowers costs, and limits personnel exposure to hazardous conditions during complex repairs.

The main blower train drives about 70% of a sulphuric acid plant's electrical demand, making it a prime target for optimization. This paper covers the core principles of energy savings for both greenfield and brownfield plants, including equipment selection, control philosophies (e.g., variable frequency drives), and aerodynamic considerations. Learn how OEM technology and expertise can unlock major savings and even increase plant capacity through targeted modernisation.

The presentation will investigate the impacts of using oxygen has on the fuel consumption, plant power use, and equipment sizing, along with the range of feeds that can be processed. Case studies for plants that Chemetics has provided new and has retrofitted existing technology for various levels of oxygen enrichment will be included. Worley Chemetics

Learn about an impressive operational turnaround that pushed a plant beyond its original design capacity. This presentation showcases how Petrokimia Gresik overcame critical equipment failures by implementing an innovative redesign of its jug damper and economizer, coupled with effective dry ice cleaning methods. These improvements not only solved reliability issues but successfully increased sulphuric acid production from 1850 to 2000 MTPD, enhancing both productivity and energy efficiency.

This presentation outlines the complex replacement of a 40-year-old spent acid furnace system with a new vertical static furnace that uses ambient air instead of oxygen-intensive kilns. The new system combusts over 20 waste streams at 1,050°C. The session highlights the engineering, advanced burner technology, and CFD simulations used to improve efficiency and flexibility while maintaining plant availability during the critical modernisation project.

Metso’s LUREC® technology was developed to handle strong smelter off-gases from high-oxygen-enrichment processes like flash smelting. This paper traces its journey from the first industrial implementation in a 3+2 integrated converter design to subsequent developments like pre-absorber integration and blower improvements. Discover the future of LUREC®, with new adaptations for different smelting configurations, debottlenecking projects, and smaller plant capacities.

Short service life of injector lances is a costly problem. This presentation details a field trial of tailor-made injector lances for molten sulphur and decomposition furnaces. A steam-atomizing nozzle for molten sulphur and a specialised spent acid injector were designed to optimise droplet size and turndown range. The goal is to validate significant improvements in service life, combustion efficiency, and maintenance costs, paving the way for full plant conversion.

The presentation reframes fugitive emissions and thermal anomalies not just as environmental issues, but as critical early warnings of equipment degradation. It highlights the limitations of conventional inspections and showcases how optical gas imaging and AI-assisted monitoring provide real-time visibility of leaks and abnormal thermal behaviour. By correlating emissions patterns with asset condition, operators can move toward a predictive, reliability-focused maintenance strategy.