Acid-Resistant Lining for Sulphuric Acid Plants — Mining, Fertiliser & Chemical

Hemera Projects delivers acid-resistant lining and bricking for sulphuric acid plants across South Africa’s mining, fertiliser and chemical sector. Our crews install and refurbish acid brick, membrane, FRP and rubber lining systems on absorber towers, contact tower internals, drying towers, sulphur burners, acid storage tanks, cooler bottoms, gas ducts and the full range of sulphuric acid plant equipment.

Sulphuric acid plant lining is one of the highest-stakes engineering scopes in industrial maintenance. The combination of concentrated sulphuric acid, sulphur trioxide, hot acid mist, sulphurous gases and abrasive carryover destroys unprotected steel and concrete in months. The right lining system — specified for the operating temperature and acid concentration, properly installed against a clean prepared substrate — protects the asset for 15-20 years and beyond. The wrong system or poor installation fails inside a single operating campaign.

Where sulphuric acid plant lining is critical in SA industry

• Copper, gold and base-metal smelter acid plants: Mining acid plants attached to copper, gold, platinum-group metal and zinc smelters — converting smelter offgas SO2 into commercial-grade sulphuric acid. The full equipment set (gas cleaning, drying tower, contact converter, absorber towers, acid coolers, storage and transfer pipework) requires acid-resistant lining matched to its specific service.
• Fertiliser plants: Foskor (Phalaborwa, Richards Bay), Sasol Nitro and Omnia operations producing sulphuric acid for phosphate fertiliser, ammonium sulphate and downstream nitrogen production. Acid plant equipment lining plus phosphoric acid plant lining where applicable.
• Industrial chemical plants: AECI, Sasol Chemicals and other operators with onsite sulphuric acid production for downstream chemistry — caprolactam, detergents, sulphates and intermediates.
• Battery acid and electroplating: Specialist sulphuric acid storage and handling for lead-acid battery production and metal plating operations.
• Effluent neutralisation circuits: Acid handling on effluent treatment plants where pH-aggressive effluent is neutralised with lime or sodium hydroxide.

Lining systems we install on sulphuric acid plant equipment

• Acid-resistant brick lining — High-silica, low-iron, dense acid-proof brick installed over a continuous membrane on prepared substrate. The right brick (kiln-fired or chemically bonded), the right mortar (furan, phenolic, sulphur or silicate-based), and the right membrane (bituminous, lead, FRP) for the specific service.
• Membrane lining — Bituminous, lead, FRP and elastomer membranes installed as standalone protection or as primary chemical barriers behind the brick. Membrane integrity is the foundation of any acid plant lining system.
• FRP (fibreglass-reinforced plastic) lining — Hand laid or filament wound, applied where chemical resistance and abrasion resistance are both required, or where temperature limits prohibit organic membranes.
• Rubber and elastomer lining — Sheet rubber (hot-bonded or cold-bonded) and sprayed elastomer for acid-handling tanks, dilute acid storage and abrasive-corrosive process equipment.
• Acid-resistant mortar systems — Furan, phenolic, sulphur and silicate mortars matched to brick and chemistry, with documented mixing, application and cure records.

Sulphuric acid plant equipment we line

• Absorber towers (interpass, final and oleum absorbers) — internal lining of tower walls, distributors and packing supports.
• Contact (catalyst) tower internals — gas distributors, inter-bed coolers and tower walls.
• Drying towers — internal lining of tower walls and packing support.
• Sulphur burner / sulphur furnace brick lining — high-temperature acid-resistant refractory lining.
• Cooler bottoms and acid coolers — channel covers, water boxes, acid-side internals.
• Acid storage tanks — strong acid (98%) and weak acid (78%) storage tank linings matched to concentration.
• Gas ducting and stack internals — acid-resistant duct lining where condensation can carry over.
• Effluent neutralisation tank lining — for caustic-side equipment with acid carryover.

HSE on sulphuric acid plant turnarounds

Sulphuric acid plant work is among the most demanding in industrial maintenance. Confined-space entry into towers and absorbers, work in environments with residual acid and sulphur gases, hot work near acid-handling equipment, and the consequences of a failed lining all combine to create an HSE environment with no margin for error. Hemera’s documented HSE systems are built for this work, our supervisors are familiar with the permit-to-work systems used at major SA operators, and our applicators carry the certifications operators expect. Application QC is enforced on every shift — substrate cleanliness verified, membrane installation inspected for pinholes, brick coursing and mortar joints checked, joint chasing inspected, final acid-pressure or holiday testing pulled and signed off before the next phase.

Single-contractor scope across related Hemera services on acid plants: HP & UHP water jetting for substrate preparation; industrial lining and coating for tank floor coatings and structural systems; insulation, lagging and cladding for hot acid pipework; industrial fireproofing where structural fire protection is required; scaffolding and access for tower and absorber internal access.