Sulphur is a yellow element, but India hardly digs it up. Almost all of India’s own sulphur is a leftover from oil refineries. The rest comes by ship. In 2026 that ship route became a worry.
This lesson follows sulphur from rock and gas to fertiliser. It then shows why India imports it and how wars far away raise its price. For the gas side, see Sulphur Dioxide Emissions and Acid Rain.
- Sources: native deposits, pyrites, sour gas and refinery gas.
- Methods: Frasch (mining native sulphur) and Claus (recovering it from gas).
- India: almost all home output is recovered at refineries. Amjhore pyrites is closed.
- Main use: sulphuric acid, which makes phosphatic fertilisers like DAP and SSP.
- 2026 risk: Gulf and Russian supply cuts pushed prices up.
What Is Sulphur and Where Is It Found?
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What kind of element is sulphur?
Sulphur is a yellow, brittle non-metal. It burns with a blue flame and a sharp smell. That smell is sulphur dioxide.
It is common in the Earth’s crust. But rich, mineable deposits of pure sulphur are rare.
In what forms does it occur?
It turns up in four main ways. Each one sets how the sulphur is collected.
- Native sulphur: pure crystals, often near volcanoes or in salt domes.
- Pyrites: iron sulphide rock, an old industrial source.
- Sour gas: natural gas that carries hydrogen sulphide (H2S).
- Crude oil: sulphur sits inside the oil and comes out at the refinery.
Check 1
Most of the sulphur used today is mined as pure native sulphur.
How Is Sulphur Obtained?
What is the Frasch process?
The Frasch process mines native sulphur from underground. Superheated water is forced down a well. The sulphur melts, and compressed air lifts the molten sulphur up.
It was the main method for much of the 20th century. It needs a rich deposit, which is why it faded.
What is the Claus process?
The Claus process recovers sulphur from gas. Plants first strip hydrogen sulphide out of sour gas or refinery gas. A Claus unit then turns it into sulphur.
The key reaction is 2H2S + SO2 → 3S + 2H2O. Today this is the main source of the world’s sulphur.
Recovery also cleans the fuel. Removing sulphur from oil and gas cuts sulphur dioxide in the air. See Furnace Oil: Why This Refinery Byproduct Causes Sulphur Emissions.
Who Produces the Most Sulphur?
The US Geological Survey puts world output near 84 million tonnes in 2025. (Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026) Most of it is a byproduct of oil and gas, so big producers are oil and gas states.
Two points matter for exams. China is far ahead. And the Gulf states, with Russia, are the big exporters.
Why Does India Import Sulphur?
Where does India’s own sulphur come from?
Almost all of it is recovered at oil refineries and gas plants. The Amjhore pyrites mine in Bihar is closed. India has no mineable reserves of elemental sulphur.
The only native estimate is a small inferred deposit of 0.21 million tonnes in the Puga Valley of Jammu and Kashmir.
How big are the imports?
Imports of elemental sulphur are free under the foreign trade policy. They have grown fast. The import value more than tripled in a year, as prices also rose.
| Year | Recovered sulphur (thousand t) | Imports (million t) | Import value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 737 | 1.46 | ₹1,095 crore |
| 2021-22 | 881 | 1.89 | ₹3,536 crore |
(Source: Indian Minerals Yearbook 2022, IBM) IBM counts only public-sector recovery, led by IOCL. Recovery was 890 and 901 thousand tonnes in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Who sells sulphur to India?
About nine tenths of India’s imports come from the Gulf. In 2021-22, Qatar supplied 32%, the UAE 25%, Oman 15%, Saudi Arabia 11% and Kuwait 9%. Japan and Iraq gave 2% each.
This concentration is the weak spot. One blocked route can cut most of the supply.
Think it through: USGS lists India at about 3.7 million tonnes. IBM lists recovered sulphur at under 0.9 million. Why do the numbers differ? Hint: look at what each source counts.
The USGS figure covers sulphur in all forms, including sulphur locked in sulphuric acid made from other sources. IBM counts only recovered elemental sulphur from the public sector. So the two are not the same measure.
Check 2
India meets its elemental sulphur needs mainly through refinery recovery and imports.
What Is Sulphur Used For?
| Use | Sector | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) | Fertiliser | Makes phosphoric acid for DAP and SSP |
| Vulcanisation | Rubber and tyres | Makes rubber strong and elastic |
| Matches and fireworks | Consumer goods | Sulphur burns easily |
| Sulpha drugs and ointments | Pharma | Many medicines use sulphur compounds |
| Soil nutrient | Agriculture | Corrects sulphur deficiency in oilseeds and pulses |
The fertiliser link is the big one. Phosphate rock is treated with sulphuric acid to release phosphate. For the phosphate side, see The Phosphorus Cycle.
Check 3
Sulphur is important for DAP and SSP because it is turned into sulphuric acid.
How Did Clean-Fuel Rules Change Supply?
Strict sulphur limits in fuel forced refiners to remove more sulphur. That sulphur had to go somewhere. It became a larger by-product stream.
| Rule | What changed | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| BS-VI (India) | Petrol and diesel sulphur capped at 10 ppm, nationwide from April 2020 | More sulphur removed at refineries |
| IMO 2020 | Ship fuel sulphur cap cut from 3.5% to 0.5% from 1 January 2020 | More refinery desulphurisation worldwide |
So a cleaner-air rule also raised recovered sulphur. It is a good example of a pollution rule that creates a resource.
How Does Geopolitics Reach the Sulphur Price?
Sulphur travels by sea in bulk. It passes through a few narrow routes. When one is blocked, supply drops fast.
What happened in West Asia?
The Gulf supplies most of India’s imported sulphur. In 2026 the Middle East war disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Red Sea routes also came under threat.
World exports of elemental sulphur fell by about a third in the first half of 2026. Gulf suppliers explain almost three quarters of the fall.
What about Russia and Ukraine?
Russia is a major exporter through Baltic ports like Ust-Luga. In 2024 these ports shipped about 5.9 million tonnes, roughly 15% of world trade. Russia extended its temporary export ban to the end of 2026.
Sanctions on Russia, as well as the war, make buyers cautious. EU sanctions exempt sulphur for fertiliser.
What did this do to prices?
Prices more than doubled in 2026. They touched about $1,650 a tonne in June. By late September, Middle East prices had eased to about $855 a tonne FOB, and South Asia was quoted near $1,050 a tonne CFR.
China’s imports fell by 58% in the first half. That left less for other buyers to bid against.
Why Does It Matter for India?
| Link | What happens | Result for India |
|---|---|---|
| Imports from the Gulf | Hormuz or Red Sea disruption | Supply shortage |
| Dearer sulphur | Costlier sulphuric acid | Higher DAP and SSP cost |
| Subsidy system | NBS rates must cover higher prices | Bigger fertiliser subsidy bill |
| Little domestic supply | No mine to fall back on | Refinery recovery is the only buffer |
In short, sulphur is cheap but critical. A small input can lift the cost of a farmer’s fertiliser and the government’s subsidy.
Current Affairs: 2026
Sulphur supply shock and the fertiliser subsidy
- [First] World exports of elemental sulphur fell by about a third in the first half of 2026, from 13.5 million tonnes to 9 million. Gulf suppliers made up almost three quarters of the drop. Prices more than doubled this year, with a June peak near $1,650 a tonne. So what: a Gulf shipping shock reaches India as a dearer fertiliser bill. (Source: Global Agriculture) (Source: S&P Global)
- India suspended sulphur exports in July 2026 to protect home supply. So what: an importer that sells little abroad is now guarding even that. (Source: Fertilizer Daily)
- Russia extended its temporary sulphur export ban to the end of 2026 (30 June 2026). EU sanctions exempt sulphur meant for fertiliser. So what: a second big exporter has also tightened its supply. (Source: Fertilizer Daily)
- On 8 April 2026 the Cabinet approved Nutrient Based Subsidy rates for Kharif 2026 (1 April to 30 September). The outlay is about ₹41,533.81 crore, about ₹4,317 crore more than Kharif 2025. The note cites rising international prices of urea, DAP, MOP and sulphur. So what: dearer sulphur shows up in the subsidy bill. (Source: PM India, Cabinet decision)
Exam Traps
Do not say India mines its sulphur. Almost all home supply is recovered at refineries and gas plants.
Do not mix the two processes. Frasch mines native sulphur with hot water. Claus recovers sulphur from hydrogen sulphide.
Remember the chain. Sulphur becomes sulphuric acid, and the acid makes DAP and SSP.
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