The sulfuric-acid market is booming and oil companies are reaping the rewards.

According to the London Times, the price of sulfur has risen from $50 to $500 a ton in under a year. More from this report:

“Shell is one of the most-efficient producers of sulphur,” Barry Clarke, a sulphur market analyst for Pentasul, said.

Interesting how certain threads come together…I read recently that copper producers are complaining about the skyrocketing costs of sulfuric acid. A few days later, I read about Mosaic, a fertilizer company – about how the rising cost of sulfuric acid could impact its profit margins.

Interesting how certain threads come together… I read recently that copper producers are complaining about the skyrocketing costs of sulfuric acid.

Sulfuric acid (or sulphuric acid, if you’re a Brit) may not be grabbing headlines, but as the spot price of this industrial chemical surges, some interesting investment plays open up.

Sulfuric acid is used in mining to extract copper, nickel and uranium. It is also used in steel manufacturing, fertilizer production and oil refining.

“What’s really kicked off demand for this chemical, however,” according to Chris Mayer in The Daily Reckoning, “is the surge in ethanol production — a double whammy for sulfuric acid.