THE SULFURIC ACID INDUSTRY IN POLAND

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-01093A000800030001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 49
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 6, 1999
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 21, 1955
• Content Type: IR

US ,OFFICIALS QNLY
O2APCI~4=.RDP79-01093A000800030001-7
}PROVISIONALINTELLIGENCE REPORT
'THE SULFURIC ,ACID INDUSTRY IN POLAND
~t?t1ytEN
CIA/RR PR-96 NC CHANGE CUSS.
D1 DEGUSSI Q
21' January 1955 CLASS, CHAN DI
o: rs
StEXT Vt. D f:; - ~
RUTH:, HR 7Q-2
EVtEWER: 0085 f 4
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND, REPORTS
US.- OFFICIALS - ONLY
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WARNING
This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law
ase %02~: CIA-RDP79-01093A000800030001-7
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CONFIDENTIAL
US OFFICIALS ONLY
PROVISIONAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT
THE SULFURIC ACID INDUSTRY IN POLAND
CIA/RR PR-96
(ORR Project 22.573)
NOTICE
The data and conclusions contained in this report
do not necessarily represent the final position of
ORR and should be regarded as provisional only and
subject to revision. Comments and data which may
be available to the user are solicited.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
US OFFICIALS ONLY
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CONTENTS
Page
Summary . . ? . . . . . . . 1
I. Introduction . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 3
A. General . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? . . ? . . . . ? . . 3
B. Organization of the Polish Chemical Industry . . . . . 3
II. Production . . . ? . . . ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? . 5
A. General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
B. Chemical Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
C. Metallurgical Industry . 7
D. Total Production . . . . 9
E. Polish Production of Sulfuric Acid Compared with
That of the US and the Soviet Bloc . . . . . . . . . . 9
III. Stockpiling . . . . ? . . . . . . . . . . ? . . . . . . . . 11
IV? Trade . . . ? . ? . . . . . . . . . . 11
V. Consumption . . . . . . . 11
VI. Inputs into Industry . . 12
A. Sulfur-Bearing Materials 12
1. General . . . . . 12
2. Polish Raw Materials . 14
a. Pyrites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
b. Gypsum and Anhydrite ? . . ? . . . . . . . . .
c. Zinc and Lead Blends . . . . . . . . . . . . .
d. Waste Gases . . . . . . ? . . . . . . . . . . .
B. Nitrogen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
C. Electricity . . . . . . . . . . ? . ? . . . . . ? .
VII. Capabilities, Vulnerabilities, and Intentions . . . . . . ? 17
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CON F11)ENTIA1_
S-E
page
A. Capabilities . ? . . . . . . . . . . ? . . ? ? ? ? ?
. ?
17
17
B. Vulnerabilities ? ? ?
C. Intentions ? . . . .
Appendixes
18
Appendix A,. Sulfuric Acid Plants in Poland in 1954 . ? ? .
. .
19
Appendix B. Technology of the Sulfuric Acid Industry . . .
. .
29
Appendix. C. Methodology . . . . ? . . ? . ? . . ? . . . ? .
. ?
33
Appendix U. Gaps in Intel]_ig-_:nce . . . . . ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ?
35
Appendix E. Sources and .,,valu..ation of Sources . . . . . . .
Tables
. .
37
1. ;st:imated production of Sulfuric Acid. by the Chemical
6
Industry in Poland, Selected Years, 19;7-55
?
2. Production of Sulfuric Acid by Process by the Chemical
7
Industry in Poland, 1949?-55 . ? ? . ? ? . . . . . . . .
3. Production of Sulfuric Acid by the ME:ta._Llurgical
.
Industry in Poland, Selected Years, 1937-55 . ? . . ? ?
4 Production of Sulfuric Acid in Poland, Select_d Years,
?
10
1937-55 .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? .
. .
5. Production of Sulfuric Acid in Poland, the USSR, and the 10
US, 1946-55 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? .
6. Planned Consumption of St..lfuric Acid in Poland, 1955 ? ? ? ? 12
7. Consumption of ;iulfu?i.c Acid in Poland, he USSR, and the 13
T'S . . . .
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Pale
b. Requirements for Sulfur-Bearing Raw Materials in the
Sulfuric Acid Industry in Poland, 1955 Plan . . . . . 15
9. Estimated Inputs of Nitric Acid for the Sulfuric Acid
Industry in Poland, 1955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
10. Estimated Inputs of Electric Power for the Sulfuric
Acid Industry in Poland, 1955 . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
11. Mean Soviet Inputs and Yields for the Gypsum Process
in a Furnace 70 m by 2.8 m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
12. Grades and Concentrations of Sulfuric Acid
Produced in the USSR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Following; Page
Sulfuric Acid: Tower Process Flow Diagram . . . . . . 32
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CIA/HR PR-96
(ORR Project 22.573)
THE SULFURIC ACID INDUSTRY IN POLAND*
Summary
Sulfuric acid is an essential component in the industrial
development of any nation. It is vital to the production of fer-
tilizers, steel products, petroleum products, explosives, chemicals,
synthetic fibers, plastics, dyes, and nonferrous metals.
The sulfuric acid industry in Poland was practically wiped out dur-
ing World War II, but it has grown rapidly since 1945. The 1955 esti-
mated total production of 525,000 metric tons M, will make Poland the
second largest producer of sulfuric acid among the Satellites. This
production will be equivalent to about 16 percent of the estimated
1955 USSR production, about 32 percent of the total Satellite pro-
duction (including Communist China), and about 10.6 percent of the
total production of the Soviet Bloc. In 1953 the production of
sulfuric acid in Poland was equal to about 3.3 percent of the 1953
US production.
It is expected that approximately 75 percent of the 1955 esti-
mated production of sulfuric acid in Poland will me produced by the
chemical industry and that the remainder will be produced.as a
byproduct of metallurgical plants.
In the production of sulfuric acid, Poland is adopting Soviet
technology, which differs only slightly from US technology. This
difference is primarily the result of the different raw materials
used. Whereas elemental sulfur is used widely in the US, Poland
relies primarily on pyrites and gypsum. Of the 525,000 tons of
sulfuric acid to be produced in 1955, Poland will derive about
189,000 tons from pyrites (half of which is to be imported), 105,000
tons from compounds of sulfur and nonferrous metals, 152,250 tons
from gypsum and anhydrite, 68,250 from marcasite,-,-,,'* and nearly
* The estimates and conclusions contained in this report represent
the best judgment of the responsible analyst as of 2 November 1954.
' Unless otherwise stated the basis of all figures in this report
will be 100-percent acid. Tonnages are given in metric tons.
Marcasite is a white iron (FeS2) pyrite -- 46.6 percent iron
and 53.4 percent sulfur.
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10,500 tons from waste gas.*
Sulfuric acid is utilized by various iudustries in the manufacture
of a wide variety of products. Although the demand for sulfuric acid
for the manufacture of these products is increasing, Poland is depending
on its domestic production. There is no record of substantial imports
since 1951.
The sulfuric acid industry in. Poland is not currently able to satisfy
domestic requirements. This inadequacy has necessitated a reorientation
of the phosphate fertilizer program away from superphosphate to other
phosphate fertilizers which do not require sulfuric acid.
The estirxated pattern for the utilization of sulfuric acid by indus-
tries in Poland in 1955 is as follows: superphosphate, 252,000 tons;
ammonium sulfate, 68, 250 tons;; hydrochloric acid, 15,750 tons; alumi-
num sulfate, 10,500 tons; synthesis of organic compounds, 57,750 tons;
synthetic fivers, 73,500 tons;; processing various metals, 36,750 tons;
other utilization, 10,500 tons.
The stockpiling of sulfuric acid is not feasible from the point of
view of either safety of economy? The utilization of sulfuric acid in the
fertilizer industry provides a quasi-reserve which, in case of emergency,
may be reallocated to more essential industries on a limited scale.
Continued failure to accomplish the yearly sulfuric acid plan indi-
cates that the chemical industry in :Poland is falling below production
goals.
Poland imports about hall of the pyrites used by the sulfuric acid
industry. Although this import requirement constitutes a current
vulnerability to economic warfare, the development of the gypsum pro-
cess and tine new pyrites deposits allegedly discovered in Poland may
eliminate the need for imports.
A marked increase in production, coupled with a decrease in the
allocation of sulfuric acid for nonstrategic industries (such as the
fertilizer industry), could indicate larger quantities being used in
the manufacture of the explosives, steel, and gasoline required for
military action.
Este gagas T[s removed in the purification of water gas, refinery
gas, natural gas, and other fuel gases.
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I. Introduction.
A. General.
All industrialized nations require large quantities of sulfuric
acid. This commodity, not in itself an end product, is a necessary
input item in operations such as the pickling of steel; the refining
of petroleum; and the manufacture of explosives, paints, dyes, rayon,
and fertilizers -- ammonium sulfate and superphosphate. In wartime sul-
furic acid is essential in the production of high explosives and pro-
pellants. Because of its diversified use and rapid response to changes
in production and consumption of end items, sulfuric acid serves as
a business indicator. 1#
The stockpiling of sulfuric acid is not feasible from the
viewpoint of either safety or economy. The utilization of sulfuric
acid in the fertilizer industry, however, provides a quasi-reserve
which can be reallocated to more essential industries in case of
emergency. 2/
B. Organization of the Polish Chemical Industry.
The basic trend in the postwar organization of Poland's chem-
ical industry has been toward greater functional and geographic inte-
gration, aiming at simplification of the chain of supervisory respon-
sibility and reduction of the number of organizational echelons. At
first, there were six echelons in the organization of a given industry:
the ministry, the central administration, a board of directors for each
particular branch of the industry, an association with horizontal
jurisdiction over a specific commodity or groups of commodities, a
combine consisting of several plants, and the individual factory. In
the subsequent integration, the board of directors for a particular
branch of industry and the combine were gradually eliminated. The most
recent tendency is to do away with the horizontal type of association
and to institute a three-echelon system: the ministry, the central
administration, and the producing plant.
The division of administrative functions in the three-echelon
system is as follows:
1. Ministry: general supervisory functions; the regulation
and organization of industry.
* Footnote references in arabic numerals are to sources listed in
Appendix E.
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2. Central Administration: general management; the coordi-
nation and control of branches of industry.
3. Producing Plant: production and management of physical
and financial resources.
The :Law of 12 May 1550 on the reorganization of industry estab-
lished the principle that in key industries the single plant is the
basic organizational unit responsible for independent financial account-
ing, planned agreements on output, and direct contact with sources of
supply. This law also established an Economic Committee of the Council
of Ministers responsible for the coordination of actual industrial
output with the national economic plan.
Under a resolution of 30 December 19 50,, industry is broken down
into the following Ministries: Heavy Industry? Light Industry, Agri-
culture and Foodstuffs Industry, Chemical Industry, Industrial Build-
ing Industry,, Urban Building Industry, and Metallurgical Industry, 2/
The iniutry of the Chemical Industry is broken clown into the
following Central Administrations :
Inorganic
Sulfuric Acid and :Phosphorous Fertilizers
Synthetic Chemistry
Dyes and Semiproducts
Explosives
Paints and Lacquers
Technical Gases
Chemical Plant Construction
Rubber
Artificial Fibers
Pharmaceuticals
Paper
Sales
The sulfuric acid produced by the chemical industry is under
the jurisdiction of the Central Administration of Sulfuric Acid and.
Phosphorous Fertilizers. L/
The sulfuric acid produced by the metallurgical industry is a
byproduct from the lead and z:Lnc smelters, which are under the juris-
diction of the Ministry of tdie Mining Industry.
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II. Production.
A. General.
The prewar sulfuric acid industry in Poland was relatively
small and was equal to only a small percentage of US or USSR produc-
tion.
Following World War II a majority of the sulfuric acid plants
were in ruins. There was, moreover,a shortage of industrial equip-
ment, raw materials, and acid production specialists. The period of
the Three Year Plan (1947-49) was spent rebuilding the industry. 5.1
In the second half of 1950, Soviet experts came to Poland
and attempted to bolster the lagging industry. Soviet technology was
adopted, and plans were drawn for the abandonment of the obsolescent
chamber process in favor of the tower and contact processes. (See
Appendix B, technology, for an explanation of these processes and the
chart* for the tower process.) The two latter processes are more
efficient than the former,and lead - a commodity which is scarce in
Poland - is not required in their construction.
Sulfuric acid in Poland is produced by plants under the
Chemical Ministry and as a byproduct of lead, zinc, and copper
smelters / (see Appendix A, plant study).
B. Chemical Industry.
Prior to World War II the chemical industry accounted for
approximately 40 percent of the total domestic production of sulfuric
acid in Poland. In 1945 the chemical industry's production of sul-
furic acid was zero. 7/ Beginning in 1946, however, when the chemi-
cal industry produced approximately 25 percent of the total domestic
output, production increased steadily, and by 1949 the chemical indus-
try included 10 plants producing 146,000 tons of sulfuric acid which,
together with 132,000 tons produced by the nonferrous metal plants,
brought total production up to 278,000 tons. 8/
During the current Six Year Plan (1950-55), although the
industry has been expanded, it has not been able consistentlT to
Following p. 32.
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fulfill yearly plans. By 1955, it is estimated that the chemical
industry, as such, will produce 396,000 tons, approximately 75 percent
of the total domestic output of 525,000 tons. 9/ This increase
will result from the building of new plaits, especially the plants
at Wizow and Busko, which use domestic gypsum as a raw material, and
from the reconditioning of existing plants. 10/
Estimated production of sulfuric acid by the chemical industry
in Poland, for selected years 1.937-55, is shown in Table 1.
Estimated Production of Sulfuric Acid
by the Chemical Industry in Poland
Selected Years, 1937-55
Metric Tons
Year
:Production
1937
74,000 11/
1938
57,424 T2/
1945
017/
1946
31,000 7/
1947
47,600 T;/
1.948
104,000 TS/
1949
146,000 T7/
1950
176, 000 TE3/
1951
=L6 8, 000 T9/
1952
,-43
,000 M/
1953
.
294, 000 71/
1954
345,000
1955
;96,000 il
The effect of remodeling the sulfuric acid industry in Poland --
that is, conversion to contact and tower processes -- is shown in
Table 2.* This table shows the amount of acid produced by the ehemical
industry by process for the years 1949-55.
Table T! Mows on p. 7.
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Table 2
Production of Sulfuric Acid by Process
by the Chemical Industry in Poland
1949-55 22/
Year
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
a. Indicates production as metric tons of percent ac .
In 1949 there were 10 sulfuric acid plants belonging to tine
chemical industry in operation. Five of these plants used the chamber
process, 3 the tower process, and 2 the contact process. In 1954,
only one chemical plant will produce sulfuric acid by the chamber pro-
cess. In 1960 it is planned to produce 40 percent of the acid by
tower and 60 percent by contact process. L3/
C. Metallurgical Industry.
Before World War II the metallurgical industry produced approx-
imately 60 percent of Poland's sulfuric acid. This condition was large
ly the result of a government decree in Upper Silesia which forbade the
discarding of fumes from zinc and lead smelters because they destroyed
nearby crops. 24/
In 1945 the metallurgical industry produced 36,000 tons of
sulfuric acid; this constituted Poland's entire domestic production
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Chamber
Percent
of Total
Tower
Percent
of Total
Contact
Percent
of Total
49,640 /
34
64,240
44
32,120
22
52,800
30
80,960
46
42,240
24
43,680
26
67,200
40
57,120
34
51,030
21
104,490
43
87,480
36
29,400
10
147,000
50
117,600
40
13,800
4
182,850
53
148050
43
11,880
3
190,080
48
194,040
49
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of sulfuric acid for the year. 25'/ From 1946 to 1948 the metallurgical
industry continued to produce more than did the chemical industry. Since
1948, however, the metallurgical industry has been hampered by a dwindling
supply of lead and zinc blends, and production has been irregular and
unreliable. 26/
Production of sulfuric acid by the metallurgical industry in Poland,
for selected years, 1937-55, is shown in Table 3. It is not known what
process or processes are utilized by the metallurgical industry, but it is
''believed thrt the plants have been, or are being, converted to the tower
or contact process.
]:able 3
Production of Sulfuric Acid
by the MetalluricaL Industry in Poland
Selected Years, 1937-55'
Metric Tons
Production
1937
114,000 27/
1938
138,576 21/
1945
36,000 2)/
1946
92,500 ;U/
1947
107,800 '3T/
1948
117,000 32/
1949
132,000 :35/
1950
1113000 '34/
1951
124,000 :3'7/
1952
1311000 76/
1953
10,000 a/ 37/
1954
1955
'.()8,000 1.29, 000
a. Production in these years is
lower because of an inadequate
supply of pyrites.
b. Estimated. (For methodology, see
Appendix G.)
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D. Total Production.
Postwar production of sulfuric acid in Poland has lagged behind
the requirements of the country. 38 The Plan has been met only twice,
in 1948 and 1949, and the scarcity is reflected in the rest of the econo-
my. 39 Plans are now under way to conserve sulfuric acid by producing
phosphate fertilizers other than superphosphate. 40 It requires 1 ton
of 100=percent sulfuric acid to produce 3 tons of superphosphate fertili-
zer. 41
The growth of the sulfuric acid industry of Poland is dependent
largely upon the ability to utilize the domestic gypsum and anhydrite
deposits as raw material. 42
Production of sulfuric acid in Poland for selected years, 1937-55,
is shown in Table 4.*
E. Polish Production of Sulfuric Acid Compared with That of the
US and the Soviet Bloc.
Production of sulfuric acid in Poland, the USSR, and the US,
1946-55, is shown in Table 5.4k In 1953, Poland's production was equal
to approximately 14.5 percent of USSR production and 3.3 percent of US
production.
By 1955, Poland will be the second largest producer of sulfuric
acid in the Satellites and will produce approximately 32 percent of
the total production of the Satellites (including Communist China) and
approximately 10.5 percent of the total Soviet Bloc production.
Tables 4 and 5 follow on p. 10.
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Production of Sulfuric Acid in Poland
Selected Years, 1937-55
Year
Chemical
Industry
Metallurgical
Industry
1937
74;000 4
114,600 /
188,600
1938
57,424 LE/
138,576
196,000
1945
0 LY
36,000 50
36,000
Lil
1946
31,000 52
92,500
123
500
1947
47,600 /
107,500
,
155,400
(176,000) a/
58/
1945
104,000 /
117,000 LO/
221,000
1
(211,000)
62
1949
146,000
132,000 L4/
275,000
65/
(276,000)
1950
176,000
111,000 L8/
287,000
(337,000)
1951
165,000 71
124,000 Z2J
292,000
1952
243,000 74
131,000 _U/
(N.A.)
374,000
(355,000)
Iz/
1953
294,000
106,000 J
400,000
(406,000)
1954
12/
345,000 J
105,000
453,000 J
(460,000)
1955
396,000 b/
129,000
525,000
(540,000)
a. Figures shown in parentheses
b. Estimated.
Production of Sulfuric Acid in Poland,
the USSR, and the US
1946-55
USSR 51
US 82
1946
123.5
1,520
7,860
1947
155.4
1,370
9,050
1948
221.0
1,590
300
9
1949
275.0
1,810
,
9
850
1950
257.0
2,040
,
11
000
1951
292.0
2,280
,
11
250
1952
374.0
2,500
,
11
800
1953
400.0
2,750
,
12
000
1954
453.0
3,030
,
N. A.
1955
525.0
3,330
N. A.
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III. Stockpiling.
There is no stockpiling of sulfuric acid in Poland. This state-
ment is based on two facts:
1. The stockpiling of sulfuric acid is not feasible from the
viewpoint of either safety or economy.
2. Production has continually fallen below plan, and is not able
to satisfy current consumption requirements. 84/
The requirements of the fertilizer industry for sulfuric acid,
approximately 320,250 metric tons of 100 percent acid in 1955, constitutes
a quasi-reserve, which could be allocated to a more strategic indus-
try in the advent of war. It is obvious, however, that even in wartime,
fertilizer production cannot be cut drastically.
IV. Trade.
Polish trade in sulfuric acid has been practically nonexistent
since 1950. Production of sulfuric acid is small in most of the
Satellites, and it is usually all consumed by the producing country.
There is no evidence of Polish-Western trade in sulfuric acid since 1950.
Except in 1951, there were no imports of sulfuric acid into Poland
from 1950 to 1953. In 1951, 1,150 tons were imported from East Germany,
and there was a shipment of 2 tons from Antwerp to Gdynia which was
probably a transshipment; being such a small quantity, it was probably
laboratory-grade acid. 85/ An undated CIECH (Central Import-Export
Agency for Chemicals and Themical Laboratory Equipment) catalogue
lists sulfuric acid as a Polish export. Frequent, statements that
domestic production is not sufficient to satisfy home requirements
refute this claim, and no evidence of any exports can be found.
V. Consumption.
Sulfuric acid is utilized in the production of a wide variety of
products. Planned consumption of sulfuric acid in Poland, 1955, is
shown in Table 6.*
* Table o ows on p. 12.
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Table 6
Planned Consumption of Sulfuric Acid in Poland 86
1955
Consumer
Amount
(Metric Tons)
Percent of
Total Production
Superphosphate
252,000
48,
Ammonium Sulfate
68,250
13
Hydrochloric Acid
15,750
3
Aluminum Sulfate
10,500
2
Organic Synthesis
57,750
11
Synthetic Fibers
73,500
14
Metals
36,750
7
Others
10,500
2
525,000
100
Table 7* shows a comparison of the 1955 Polish planned consump-
tion with an average US and USSR consumption pattern. It has been
necessary to exercise a certain degree of license in arranging the
US and Soviet categories to adjust to the Polish breakdown.
VI. Inputs into Industry.
A. Sulfur-Bearing; Materials.
1. General.
In the US, elemental sulfur is the principal raw material
for the manufacture of sulfuric acid. L l Most other countries,
including Poland and the USSR, are forced to rely on pyrites (in one
form or another) because of the lack of adequate supplies of elemental
sulfur. 88 Other raw materials cormnonly used are waste smelter
gases containing sulfur dioxide from nonferrous metal operations;
"spent oxide," a mixture of ferric oxide, ferrous sulfide, and sulfur
resulting from the use of ferric oxide to absorb hydrogen sulfide
* Table 7 follows on p. 13.
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Table 7
Consumption of Sulfuric Acid in Poland,
the USSR, and the US
Percent of Total Production
Consumer Poland USSR us 20
Superphosphate
48.0
30.0
3500
Ammonium Sulfate
13.0
10.3 j/
6.0
Hydrochloric Acid )
3.0
Ai:unonium Sulf ate )
2.0
20.0
Organic Synthesis )
11.0
Synthetic Fibers
14.0
200 /
6.0
Metals
7.0
305 f
9.0
Others
2.0
36.0 /
4.0
100.0
81.8
80
a. Figures for Poland are those of the 1955 estimate; Fig-
ures for the US and the USSR represent average consumption
patterns.
b. Includes only ammonium sulfate recovered from coke
chemicals.
c. Includes only viscose rayon.
d. Includes only steel.
e. Includes consumption for dyes and intermediates,
synthetic ammonium sulfate, hydrochloric acid, paints and
pigments, explosives, nonferrous metallurgy, and miscel-
laneous chemical and industrial uses.
f. The remaining, approximately 18 percent, is consumed
in petroleum refining.
g. The remaining 20 percent is accounted for as follows:
petroleum refining, 11 percent; paints and pigments, 7 per-
cent; industrial explosives, 1 percent; and textile,
1 percent.
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out of illuminating gas; and various waste liquors or sludges occurring
from the use of sulfuric acid in such processes as the refining of
petroleum and the pickling of steel. L11
2. Polish Raw Materials.
In prewar Poland (19301-38) approximately 36 percent of
sulfuric acid production was derived from pyrites and 64 percent
from zinc and lead blend. 92/ Following the war (1946-48) a
;majority of production was Till derived from zinc and lead blends.
These blends, however, are now partially exhausted and cannot be con-
sidered as a permanent basic raw material. 93 This deficit is
'being compensated for in part by the utiliza on of gypsum and anhy-
drite as raw materials. 91~/
a. Pyrites.
The domestic production of pyrites is able to supply
approximately half of the sulfuric acid requirements for pyrites.
The remainder must be obtained by import. 95/
b. Gypsum and Anhydrite.
Gypsum and anhydrite are both calcium sulfate (CaSO),).
In addition the gypsum molecule has two waters of hydration (CaS04.2H2O).
Little is known about the magnitude of production, but all gypsum and
anhydrite exports were stopped in 1950, and it is believed that acid
requirements could be satisfied without much difficulty. 96
c. Zinc and Lead Blends.
Zinc and lead blends, the nomenclature assigned to
the respective sulfides to distinguish them from the oxides, were
responsible for a large share of prewar acid production in Poland.
In 1945 the only acid produced was derived from this raw material.
The deposits are now partially exhausted, however, and can no longer
be considered as a permanent basic raw material for sulfuric acid. 97/
Waste gases are removed in the purification of water
gas, refinery gas, natural gas, and other fuel gases in the form of
hydrogen sulfide. There is no mention of the utilization of this
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source in early reports, and its planned utilization in 1955 is some
indication of the Polish need to utilize all possible sources of
sulfur.
The requirements for sulfur-bearing raw materials in the sul-
furic acid industry in Poland, 1955 Plan, are shown in Table 8.
Requirements for Sulfur-Bearing Raw Materials
in the Sulfuric Acid Industry in Poland
1955 Plan
-r -
Required Percent of
(Metric Acid Production a/ Total Acid
Raw Material Tons) (Metric Tons) Production / 98/
Pyrites b/
Marcasite and Pyrites
from Concentrated
Zinc Ore 2/
Compounds of Sulfur
with Nonferrous
67,775 189,000 36
24,!475 68, 250 13
Metals (Zinc, Lead,
Copper) d/
37,653
105,000
20
Waste Gases
3,765
10,500
2
Gypsum and Anhydrite
54,596
152,250
29
188#264
525;000
100
a. Estimated. d. For methodology, see Appendix C.
b. Raw materials for the chemical industry,
c. Raw materials utilized by both the chemical and metallurgical
industries.
d. Raw materials for the metallurgical industry.
B. Nitrogen.
Oxides of nitrogen are consumed in both the tower and chamber
process. Polish technology provides that the oxides are introduced in
the form of nitric acid. The input requirement is 10 kilograms of
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nitric acid ner ton of 100 percent sulfuric acid. 99/
Inputs of nitric acid for the sulfuric acid industry in Poland,
1-955, are shown in Table 9.
isstImated Inputs of Nitric
Acia, "or the w>ulfuric Acid Industry
in J=ola.nd
Kilograms of
Sulfuric Acid
Nitric Acid
Nitric Acid
Production
per Metric Ton
Inputs
Process
(Metric Tons)
of Sulfuric Acid
(Metric Tons)
Chamber
11,900
10
1.19
Tower
254,500
10
2,545
Total
266,400
2,664
This nitric acid requirement constitutes approximately 1.68
percent of the estimated 19,,=;5 production of nitric acid in Poland.
C. Electricity.
No information is avallablLe concerning consumption of elec-
tric power for production of sulfuric acid in Poland. US practice
requires about 15 kilowatt-hours ner ton of acid. for either the tower
process or the chamber proces3 and 5 kilowatt-hours per ton of acid
for tie contact process. 100/ On the basis of US analogy, an estimate
of electric power requirements can be made. Estimated electric power
inputs for the sulfuric acid industry in Poland, 1955, are shown in
Table .10.*
The _),291,500 kilowat,--roars represent only a small percentage
of the ply+nnecl 1955 output of 19.3 billion kilowatt-hours in Poland. 10
fia~e-IZ o~lows on p. 17.
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Table 10
Estimated Inputs of Electric Power
for the Sulfuric Acid Industry in Poland
1955
Kilowatt-Hours of
Process
Sulfuric Acid
Production
(Metric Tons)
Electric Power
per Metric
Ton of Acid
Electric Power
Inputs
(Kilowatt-Hours)
Chamber
3-1,900
15
17 8, 500
Tower
254,500
15
3.,820,000
Contact
258,600
5
1,293,000
Total
525,000
5,291,500
VII. Capabilities, Vulnerabilities, and Intentions.
A. Capabilities.
The Polish sulfuric acid industry currently is not able to
satisfy domestic requirements. 102/ This is illustrated by the
reorientation of the phosphate fer7ilizers industry away from superphos-
phate to other phosphate fertilizers which do not require sulfuric
acid. 103/ Continued failure to accomplish the sulfuric acid yearly plan
goal would indicate that the chemical industry is in general falling
below the established production goals.
B. Vulnerabilities.
Poland imports approximately half of the pyrites used by the
sulfuric acid industry. Although this dependence on imports consti-
tutes a current vulnerability, the situation may be relieved by
development of the gypsum process and by the newly discovered sulfur
or pyrites deposit allegedly discovered in Poland. 101.
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A marked increase in production coupled with a decrease in the
allocation, of sulfuric acid for fertilizer might indicate that large
quantities were being consumed in the manufacture of the explosives,
steel, and. gasoline necessary for military action. There is no evidence,
however, that such a plan is currently being followed. Continued
failure to accomplish the sulfuric acid yearly plan goal would indicate
that the chemical industry is in general falling below the established
production goals.
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APPENDIX A
SULFURIC ACID PLANTS IN POLAND IN 1951
1. Location:
Busko. 106/
Coordinates: 50?281 N - 20?131 E.
Plant Name: N.A.
Industr: Chemical. 107/
Raw Material: ( rpsum and anhydrite. 108/
Process: Contact.**
Products: Sulfuric acid, cement.*- 109/
Capacity: 98,000 tons sulfuric acid per year (estimated ultimate
maximum). This plant expected to be the same size as
Wizow.
2. Location: Gdansk (Danzig). 110/
Coordinates:
54?40' N - 19?15' E.
Plant Name: Sulfuric Acid and Superphosphate Factory. 111/
Industry: Chemical. 112/
Raw Material: Pyrites. 113/
Process: Tower. ii4/
Products: Sulfuric acid, superphosphate, 115/ HCl. 116/.
* In 1954, all but one Polish sulfuric acid plant belonging to the
chemical industry will use either the tower or contact process. 105/
** It is assumed that the plant is based on Wizow design.
*-x-* Cement is a byproduct of the gypsum process.
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Capacity: N.A.
3. Location: Gleiwitz. 117/
Coordinates: 50?17' N - 18?40' E.
Plant Name:
Gliwicka Fabmyka Kwasu Sia:rkowego(Gleiwitz Sulfuric
Acid Plant). 118/
Industry: Chemical. 119/
Raw Material: Pyrites. 120/
Process: Tower. 121/
Products: Sulfuric acid. 122/
Capac? N.A.
I. Location: Gorlice.
Coordinates: 51.?a5' N - 21?29' E.
Plant Name: Schuchardt Chemical Plant. 123/
Industry: Chemical.
Raw Material: Pyrites.
Process: N.A.
Products: Sulfuric acid.
Capacity: N.A.
5.
Location: Katowice.
Coordinates: 50?16, N - 19?01' E.
Plant Name: Hohenlohehuette O.S. 1211/
Inch