Sulfur: World Production In All Forms, By Country And Source

TABLE 11
SULFUR: WORLD PRODUCTION IN ALL FORMS, BY COUNTRY AND SOURCE^{1, 2}

(Thousand metric tons)

Country and source³	2002		2003		2004		2005		2006
Australia, byproduct:^e
Metallurgy	899		863		870	^r	880	^r	880
Petroleum	60		60		60		60		61
Total	959		923		930	^r	940	^r	941
Canada, byproduct:
Metallurgy	1,109		992		1,105	^r	1,058	^r	1,161	^p
Natural gas, petroleum, tar sands	7,816		8,036		7,996	^r	7,915	^r	7,886	^p
Total	8,925		9,028		9,101	^r	8,973		9,047	^p
Chile, byproduct, metallurgy^e	1,275	⁴	1,430		1,510		969	^{r, 4}	1,000
China:^e
Elemental	540		700		820		900		920
Pyrites	3,240		3,400		3,730		4,010		4,100
Byproduct, metallurgy	2,200		2,400		2,600		2,800		3,000
Total	5,980		6,500		7,150		7,710		8,020
Finland:^e
Pyrites	359		341		336		270	^r	250
Byproduct:
Metallurgy	308		305		301		300		300
Petroleum	55		60		65		70		65
Total	722		706		702		640	^r	615
France, byproduct:^e
Natural gas and petroleum	796	^{r, 4}	710	^{r, 4}	698	^{r, 4}	750		750
Unspecified	229		196		196		195		195
Total	1,030	^r	906	^r	894	^r	945		945
Germany:
Unspecified, marketable	--	^r	--	^r	--	^r	--	^r	--
Byproduct:
Metallurgy	754		701		591		600	^e	600	^e
Natural gas and petroleum	1,745		1,661		1,503	^r	1,585	^r	1,686
Total	2,499	^r	2,362	^r	2,094	^r	2,185	^r	2,286
India:^e
Pyrites	32		32		32		32		32
Byproduct:
Metallurgy	458		539		539		580		600
Natural gas and petroleum	371		451		501		520		540
Total	861		1,020		1,070		1,130		1,170
Iran, byproduct:^e
Metallurgy	50		50		60		60		65
Natural gas and petroleum	1,200	⁴	1,310		1,400		1,400		1,400
Total	1,250		1,360		1,460		1,460		1,465
Italy, byproduct:^e
Metallurgy	142		127		113		115		100
Petroleum	560		565		575		570		550
Total	702		692		688		685		650
Japan, byproduct:
Metallurgy	1,326		1,281		1,263		1,284	^r	1,350	^e
Petroleum	1,865		1,951		1,895		1,972	^r	1,980	^e
Total	3,191		3,232		3,158		3,256	^r	3,330	^e
Kazakhstan, byproduct:^e
Metallurgy	260		325		325		325		300
Natural gas and petroleum	1,600		1,600		1,650		1,700		1,700
Total	1,860		1,930		1,980		2,030		2,000
See footnotes at end of table.


TABLE 11�Continued
SULFUR: WORLD PRODUCTION IN ALL FORMS, BY COUNTRY AND SOURCE^{1, 2}

(Thousand metric tons)

Country and source³	2002		2003		2004		2005		2006
Korea, Republic of, byproduct:^e
Metallurgy	737		797		796		800		800
Petroleum	687		757		879		885		890
Total	1,420		1,550		1,680		1,690		1,690
Kuwait, byproduct, natural gas and petroleum^e	634		714		682		700		650
Mexico, byproduct:
Metallurgy^e	588		539		703		700		700
Natural gas and petroleum	877		1,052		1,122		1,017		1,074
Total	1,465		1,591		1,825		1,717		1,774
Netherlands, byproduct:^e
Metallurgy	124		131		137		135		130
Petroleum	373		408		410		400		400
Total	497		539		547		535		530
Poland:^{e, 5}
Frasch	760	⁴	762		821	^r	802	^r	800
Byproduct:
Metallurgy	276		294		290		250	^r	250
Petroleum	180	⁴	180		190		190		190
Total	1,220		1,240		1,300	^r	1,240	^r	1,240
Russia:^{e, 6}
Native	50		50		50		50		50
Pyrites	350		350		300		300		300
Byproduct:
Metallurgy	500		520		570		600		650
Natural gas	5,600		5,800		6,000		6,000		6,000
Total	6,500		6,720		6,920		6,950		7,000
Saudi Arabia, byproduct, all sources^e	2,360		2,180		2,249	^{r, 4}	2,717	^{r, 4}	2,800
South Africa:
Pyrites, S content, from gold mines	183		176		165		133		68	^p
Byproduct:
Metallurgy, copper, platinum, zinc plants	179	^e	174		180		220	^r	200	^e
Petroleum	170		264		288		422	^r	375	^e
Total	532		614		633		776	^r	643
Spain, byproduct:^e
Coal, lignite, gasification	1		1		1		1		1
Metallurgy	544		500	^r	500	^r	500	^r	500
Petroleum	140		150	^r	150	^r	150	^r	150
Total	685		651	^r	651	^r	651	^r	651
United Arab Emirates, byproduct, natural gas and petroleum^e	1,900		1,900		1,930		1,950		1,950
United States, byproduct:
Metallurgy	772		683		739		711		674
Natural gas	1,760		1,940		1,990		1,850	^r	1,430
Petroleum	6,750		6,970		7,390		6,940		6,960
Total	9,270		9,600		10,100		9,500	^r	9,060
Uzbekistan, byproduct:^e
Metallurgy	170		170		170		170		170
Natural gas and petroleum	350		350		350		350		350
Total	520		520		520		520		520
Venezuela, byproduct, natural gas and petroleum^e	570	⁴	560		800		800		800
See footnotes at end of table.





TABLE 11�Continued
SULFUR: WORLD PRODUCTION IN ALL FORMS, BY COUNTRY AND SOURCE^{1, 2}

(Thousand metric tons)

Country and source³	2002		2003		2004		2005		2006
Other^e	5,150	^r	5,070	^r	4,940	^r	4,950	^r	4,970
Of which:
Frasch	23		19		20		20		20
Native⁷	524	^r	302	^r	275	^r	241	^r	242
Pyrites	159	^r	170	^r	167	^r	161	^r	152
Unspecified	1,070	^r	1,110	^r	1,130	^r	1,170	^r	1,150
Byproduct:
Metallurgy	1,340	^r	1,400	^r	1,160	^r	1,180	^r	1,200
Natural gas	251	^r	301	^r	361	^r	361	^r	361
Natural gas and petroleum, undifferentiated	513	^r	479	^r	496	^r	495	^r	496
Petroleum	1,270	^r	1,280	^r	1,330	^r	1,320	^r	1,350
Grand total	62,000	^r	63,500	^r	65,500	^r	65,600	^r	65,700
Of which:
Frasch	783		781		841	^r	822	^r	820
Native⁷	1,110	^r	1,050	^r	1,140	^r	1,190	^r	1,210
Pyrites	4,320	^r	4,470	^r	4,730	^r	4,910	^r	4,900
Unspecified	3,660	^r	3,490	^r	3,570	^r	4,080	^r	4,150
Byproduct:
Coal, lignite, gasification^e	1		1		1		1		1
Metallurgy	14,000		14,200	^r	14,500	^r	14,200	^r	14,600
Natural gas	7,610		8,040	^r	8,350	^r	8,210	^r	7,790
Natural gas, petroleum, tar sands, undifferentiated	18,400	^r	18,800	^r	19,100	^r	19,200	^r	19,300
Petroleum	12,100	^r	12,600	^r	13,200	^r	13,000	^r	13,000
^eEstimated.^pPreliminary. ^rRevised. -- Zero.
¹World totals, U.S. data, and estimated data are rounded to no more than three significant digits; may not add to totals shown.
²Table includes data available through July 17, 2007.
³The term "source" reflects the means of collecting sulfur and the type of raw material. Sources listed include the following: Frasch recovery; native, comprising all
production of elemental sulfur by traditional mining methods (thereby excluding Frasch); pyrites (whether or not the sulfur is recovered in the elemental form or as
acid); byproduct recovery, either as elemental sulfur or as sulfur compounds from coal gasification, metallurgical operations, including associated coal processing,
crude oil and natural gas extraction, petroleum refining, tar sand cleaning, and processing of spent oxide from stack-gas scrubbers; and recovery from processing mined
gypsum. Recovery of sulfur in the form of sulfuric acid from artificial gypsum produced as a byproduct of phosphatic fertilizer production is excluded because to
include it would result in double counting. Production of Frasch sulfur, other native sulfur, pyrite-derived sulfur, mined gypsum-derived sulfur, byproduct sulfur from
extraction of crude oil and natural gas, and recovery from tar sands are all credited to the country of origin of the extracted raw materials. In contrast, byproduct
recovery from metallurgical operations, petroleum refineries, and spent oxides are credited to the nation where the recovery takes place, which is not the original source
country of the crude product from which the sulfur is extracted.
⁴Reported figure.
⁵Government of Poland sources report total Frasch- and native-mined elemental sulfur output annually, undifferentiated; this figure has been divided between Frasch and
other native sulfur on the basis of information obtained from supplementary sources.
⁶Sulfur is thought to be produced from Frasch and as a petroleum byproduct; however, information is inadequate to formulate estimates.
⁷Includes "China, elemental."

Source: United States Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program

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