Aluminum Sulfate Supply Chain Full Profile


Aluminum Sulfate Supply Chain - Executive Summary

Aluminum Sulfate

Direct Use Chemical

AI2{S04)3
(liquid or solid)

Inputs to Manufacturing Process:

Aluminum Hydroxide
Sulfuric Acid

% of Total Domestic Consumption
Attributed to Water Sector:

Approximately 45%

^ Derivative Water Treatment Chemicals:	Understanding Chemical Supply Chains

None

Map of Suppliers & Manufacturers

~ Product Family:

"• Aluminum

CAS No.:

10043-01-3

Shelf Life:

36 Months

— RISK OF SUPPLY DISRUPTION (Assessed in 2022)

RISK RATING: Low

I Alll	_

RISK DRIVERS

Production of aluminum
sulfate depends on supply
of aluminum hydroxide and
bauxite. The U.S. is entirely
dependent on import of
bauxite to produce alumi-
num hydroxide, which has
experienced historic price
volatility.

RISK PARAMETERS

Criticality: High. Essential and widely
used for coagulation.

Likelihood: Low. No history of supply
disruptions between 2000 and 2022.

Vulnerability: Moderate-High, Strong
domestic manufacturing provides
some resilience, however, the U.S. is
dependent on imports of bauxite for
production of aluminum hydroxide.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Water T reatment Applications

Coagulation

Other Applications

Paper manufacturing
Fabric dyeing
Soil amendment
Firefighting foam

DOMESTIC PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION, AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Domestic Manufacturing Locations (2015):

62, distributed throughout the U.S.

International Trade (2019)

Primary Trading Partner (Imports): Canada

Primary Trading Partner (Exports): Canada

Domestic Consumption (2019):
799 Million kg

¦	Domestic Production (796 M kg)

¦	Imports for Consumption (14 M kg)

¦	Export of Domestic Production (11 K kg)

&EPA

-------
Aluminum Sulfate Supply Chain - Full Profile

Product Description

Aluminum sulfate (AI2(S04)3), a water soluble aluminum salt, is one of the most widely used aluminum-based
coagulants in water and wastewater treatment due to its low cost and widespread availability. Water treatment
applications are the most common uses of aluminum sulfate in the U.S.

Use in Water Treatment

Aluminum sulfate (alum) is utilized directly as a liquid solution or solid in primary coagulation in drinking water
treatment, municipal wastewater treatment, and industrial wastewater treatment. Aluminum sulfate is also
used in source water clarification and nutrient removal (AWWA, 2016).

Use as a Precursor to Other Water Treatment Chemicals

Aluminum sulfate is not used to manufacture other water treatment chemicals.

Other Applications

Aluminum sulfate has a wide range of applications. The predominant use is in water treatment including
drinking water, wastewater, and water resource management. Other uses include production of paper, textiles,
soil amendment, firefighting foam, food, cosmetics, dyes, leather, and as a vaccine adjuvant (ATSDR, 2008; NCBI,
2021).

Primary Industrial Consumers

The primary use of aluminum sulfate is water and wastewater treatment. Past estimates have approximated the
consumption of aluminum sulfate for water and wastewater treatment at 45% of total domestic consumption.
Other common uses are paper manufacturing, and fabric dyeing. Additional uses include soil amendment,
firefighting foam, vaccine adjuvant, chemical catalyst production (EPA, 2020; NCBI, 2021).

Manufacturing, Transport, & Storage

Manufacturing Process

Aluminum sulfate is primarily produced through a reaction of aluminum hydroxide and sulfuric acid. The process
may begin with ground bauxite in place of aluminum hydroxide. The overall equation for the most common
aluminum sulfate manufacturing process is outlined in Figure 1. In this process, aluminum hydroxide is mixed
with sulfuric acid at a controlled temperature and pressure to yield aluminum sulfate. Liquid aluminum sulfate,
the more commonly sold form, is prepared by diluting the prepared solution. The aluminum sulfate solution can
be evaporated and allowed to crystallize to produce a dry powder.

Sulfuric Acid +

Aluminum Hydroxide —

Aluminum Sulfate

+ Water

3H2S04 +

2AI(OH)3 -s

AI2(S04)3

+ 6H20

Figure 1. Chemical Equation for the Reaction to Manufacture Aluminum Sulfate
Product Transport

Aluminum sulfate, primarily supplied as a solution but also available as a solid or powder, is widely transported
in container and bulk by truck, rail, barge, and ship (USALCO, 2019).

Storage and Shelf Life

Aluminum sulfate, commonly sold as a solution, should be stored in a tightly closed container and kept indoors

EPA 817-F-22-011 | December 2022

SEPA

-------
Aluminum Sulfate Supply Chain - Full Profile

or in a heated area. When stored properly, aluminum sulfate can have a shelf life of approximately 36 months,
depending on storage conditions (USALCO, 2019).

Domestic Production & Consumption

Domestic Production

Production data was collected from the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR)
while trade data was collected from the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) Dataweb, as characterized
in Table 1. Both production and trade data are specific to aluminum sulfate.

Table 1. Aluminum Sulfate Production and Trade Data Sources

Production and Trade Data

Category

Data Source

Identifier

Description

Domestic Production

2020 TSCA Chemical Data Reporting

CAS No.: 10043-01-3

Aluminum Sulfate

Imports and Exports

U.S. International Trade Commission

HS Code: 2833.22

Aluminum Sulfate

Total U.S. domestic manufacturing of aluminum sulfate was approximately 796 million kilograms (M kg) in 2019
(EPA, 2020). The majority of reported domestic commercial manufacture of aluminum sulfate takes place at
facilities located throughout the contiguous U.S. owned by a relatively small number of companies including
Chemtrade, GEO Specialty Chemicals, Southern Ionics, PQ Corporation, Thatcher Chemical Company, and
USALCO (EPA, 2020). The number of domestic manufacturing locations shown in Figure 2 represents operating
facilities as of 2015. Supply of NSF/ANSI Standard 60 certified aluminum sulfate for use in drinking water
treatment is also widely distributed throughout the U.S. (NSF International, 2021). For a more current listing of
manufacturing locations and supplier locations, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's)
Chemical Locator Tool (EPA. 2022a).

&EPA

-------
o

0

Aluminum Sulfate Supply Chain - hull Profile

O

O



° - :

o	0#»

Q*	°° O o ® »°J
•

H	?n • ¦& <& o

O 4	-_ • • • A0!

o

•#spia

% 5 • • • o

«!

Domestic Supply and Manufacturing of Aluminum Sulfate
O 92 NSF/ANSI Standard 60 Certified Suppliers (NSF International 2021)
9 62 Domestic Manufacturing Locations (EPA Chemical Data Reporting, 2016)

Figure 2. Domestic Supply and Manufacturing of Aluminum Sulfate
Domestic Consumption

U.S. consumption of aluminum sulfate in 2019 is estimated at 799 M kg. This includes production of 796 M kg,
import of 14 M kg, minus export of 11 M kg (EPA, 2020; USITC, 2021), as shown in Figure 3.

Domestic Consumption (2019):

799 Million kg

Domestic Production (796 M kg)
n Imports for Consumption (14 M kg)
c Export of Domestic Production (11 K kg)

Figure 3. Domestic Production and Consumption of Aluminum Sulfate in 2019

Trade & Tariffs

Worldwide Trade

Worldwide import and export data for aluminum sulfate are reported through the World Bank's World
Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS) software, as a category specific to aluminum sulfate. In 2021, U.S. ranked 16th

3

&EPA

-------
Aluminum Sulfate Supply Chain - Full Profile

worldwide in total exports and fourth in total imports of aluminum sulfate. In 2021, China ranked first
worldwide in total exports while Austria ranked first in total imports (WITS, 2022), as shown in Table 2.

Table 2. WITS Worldwide Export and Import of Aluminum Sulfate in 2021

2021 Worldwide Trade
Aluminum Sulfate (HS Code 2833.22)

Top 5 Worldwide Exporters

Top 5 Worldwide Importers

China

97 M kg

Austria

32 M kg

Turkey

74 M kg

Netherlands

22 M kg

Sweden

50 M kg

Flong Kong

19 M kg

Indonesia

29 M kg

United States

17 M kg

Netherlands

29 M kg

Sweden

17 M kg

Domestic Imports and Exports

Domestic import and export data are reported by USITC in categories specific to aluminum sulfate. Figure 4
summarizes imports for consumption1 and domestic exports2 of aluminum sulfate between 2015 and 2020.
During this period, the overall quantities of exports and imports fluctuated, with imports for consumption
consistently exceeding domestic exports. Over this five-year period, Canada was the primary recipients of
domestic exports and the primary source of imports for consumption (USITC, 2021).

Domestic Trade of Aluminum Sulfate
25 HS Code 2833.22

ii I. L I. n ¦.

«/)«/> CO CO CO CO CO (/> lO CO CO

oo oo oo oo oo oo

Q.Q. Q.Q. Q.Q. Q.Q. Q.Q. Q.Q.

EX C X C X C X C X C X

111 l qj c uj c uj tz uj ci uj

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

¦ Imports from Canada ¦ Exports to Canada

¦ Imports from Mexico ¦ Exports to Palau

¦ Imports from Other Countries Exports to Other Countries

Figure 4. USITC Domestic Import and Export of Aluminum Sulfate between 2015 and 2020

Tariffs

There is no general duty for import of aluminum sulfate (USITC, 2022), however there is a 25% additional duty
on imports from China, as summarized in Table 3.

1 Imports for consumption are a subset of general imports, representing the total amount cleared through customs and entering
consumption channels, not anticipated to be reshipped to foreign points, but may include some reexports.

2 Domestic exports are a subset of total exports, representing export of domestic merchandise which are produced or manufactured in
the U.S. and commodities of foreign origin which have been changed in the U.S.

&EPA

-------
Aluminum Sulfate Supply Chain - Full Profile

Table 3. Domestic Tariff Schedule for Aluminum Sulfate in 2022

HS Code

General Duty

Additional Duty - China
(Section 301 Tariff List)

Special Duty

2833.22

None

25%

None

Market History & Risk Evaluation

History of Shortages

There were no identified aluminum sulfate supply chain disruptions impacting the water sector between 2000
and 2022.

Risk Evaluation

The complete risk assessment methodology is described in Understanding Water Treatment Chemical Supply
Chains and the Risk of Disruptions (EPA, 2022b). The risk rating is calculated as the product of the following three
risk parameters:

Risk = Criticality x Likelihood x Vulnerability
Criticality Measure of the importance of a chemical to the water sector

Likelihood Measure of the probability that the chemical will experience a supply disruption in the
future, which is estimated based on past occurrence of supply disruptions

Vulnerability Measure of the market dynamics that make a chemical market more or less resilient to
supply disruptions

The individual parameter rating is based on evaluation of one or more attributes of the chemical or its supply
chain. The ratings and drivers for these three risk parameters are shown below in Table 4.

Table 4. Supply Chain Risk Evaluation for Aluminum Sulfate

Risk Parameter Ratings and Drivers

i i

1 Criticality High

1 Likelihood Low 1

[Vulnerability Moderate-High 1

Aluminum sulfate is essential to the
water sector and has widespread
application as a coagulant in drinking
water and wastewater.

The water sector did not experience
aluminum sulfate supply chain
disruptions between 2000 and 2022.

Strong domestic manufacturing
provides some resilience to supply
disruptions. However, production of a
key input, aluminum hydroxide, relies
on import of raw material (bauxite).

Risk Rating: Low

4
£
«?

te-Low Moderaf

Rar>ge '*>>

/V\

%
-P

0>
OQ

&EPA

-------
Aluminum Sulfate Supply Chain - Full Profile

References

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR), 2008. Toxicological Profile for Aluminum, retrieved
from https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp.asp?id=191&tid=34

American Water Works Association (AWWA), 2016. B403 Aluminum Sulfate - Liquid, Ground, or Lump.
Denver, CO: American Water Works Association.

EPA, 2016. 2016 TSCA Chemical Data Reporting, retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/chemical-data-
reporting/access-cdr-data#2016

EPA, 2020. 2020 TSCA Chemical Data Reporting, retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/chemical-data-
reporting/access-cdr-data#2020

EPA, 2022a. Chemical Suppliers and Manufacturers Locator Tool, retrieved from

https://www.epa.gov/waterutilitvresponse/chemical-suppliers-and-manufacturers-locator-tool

EPA, 2022b. Understanding Water Treatment Chemical Supply Chains and the Risk of Disruptions, retrieved
from https://www.epa.gov/waterutilitvresponse/water-sector-supplv-chain-resilience

NSF International, 2021. Search for NSF Certified Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals, retrieved from
https://info.nsf.org/Certified/PwsChemicals/

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), 2021. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 24850,
Aluminum Sulfate, retrieved from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/aluminum-sulfate

USALCO, 2019. Aluminum sulfate storage and handling, retrieved from https://www.usalco.com/wp-
content/uploads/2021/08/06162-USALCO-Alum-USALCQ-Flver-Storage-Handling-02-2019-Updt.pdf

U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), 2021. USITC DataWeb, retrieved from
https://dataweb.usitc.gov/

U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), 2022. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Search, retrieved from
https://hts.usitc.gov/

World Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS), 2022. Trade Statistics by Product (HS 6-digit), retrieved from
https://wits.worldbank.org/trade/countrv-bvhs6product.aspx?lang=en#void

&EPA

-------