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supply","china-to-potentially-ban-sulphuric-acid-exports-as-iran-war-pressures-supply","article/china-to-potentially-ban-sulphuric-acid-exports-as-iran-war-pressures-supply",{"_uid":547,"date":548,"tags":549,"editor":569,"content":579,"excerpt":587,"featured":51,"reporter":664,"component":675,"seo_title":676,"categories":677,"visibility":682,"data_vis_image":683,"featured_image":688,"seo_description":587,"formattedDate":692,"formattedArticleDate":693},"b1babe83-4d6d-4095-8827-6253daef8e31","2026-04-14 00:00",[550,552,555,557,560,563,566],{"slug":551,"name":551},"lithium-sulphur",{"slug":553,"name":554},"copper-prices","copper prices",{"slug":556,"name":556},"mining",{"slug":558,"name":559},"republic-of-indonesia","Republic of Indonesia",{"slug":561,"name":562},"china","China",{"slug":564,"name":565},"chile","Chile",{"slug":567,"name":568},"data-visualisation","Data Visualisation",[570],{"slug":571,"name":572,"content":573},"benjamin-roche","Benjamin Roche",{"job_title":574,"image":575,"bio":577,"linkedin":578},"Editor – Energy Transition Supply Chains",{"filename":576},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/800x800/66d6674fb8/benjamin-roche.png","Benjamin is Benchmark's Editor for Energy Transition Supply Chains, covering both upstream products like critical minerals and downstream products including energy storage systems and electric vehicles. He has previous experience covering trade flows, tariffs and the effects of geopolitics on supply chains.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrochecontent/",{"type":580,"content":581},"doc",[582,589,594,605,615,620,626,631,636,641,648,653,658],{"type":583,"attrs":584,"content":585},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[586],{"text":587,"type":588},"China may be looking to impose an export ban on sulphuric acid from May, a move that could put additional pressure on copper and mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) producers.","text",{"type":583,"attrs":590,"content":591},{"textAlign":49},[592],{"text":593,"type":588},"According to several reports, China is set to announce the measure as a response to the near-halt on sulphur supplies from the Middle East since the beginning of the conflict. The region accounts for around a third of global supply of elemental sulphur, which is used by MHP producers, some of whom also import acid.",{"type":595,"attrs":596},"blok",{"id":597,"body":598},"51b6a671-817d-4b81-bc44-278adde1ad30",[599],{"id":600,"_uid":601,"type":602,"component":603,"fixed_height":604,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":604,"fixed_height_tablet":604},"28498003","i-374f6533-1100-4b1e-8a49-e925208e6617","visualisation","ContentFlourish","",{"type":606,"attrs":607,"content":609},"heading",{"level":608,"textAlign":49},2,[610],{"text":611,"type":588,"marks":612},"Copper prices bolstered by acid supply strain",[613],{"type":614},"bold",{"type":583,"attrs":616,"content":617},{"textAlign":49},[618],{"text":619,"type":588},"Chile’s copper operations are likely to be particularly affected. Since 2022, it has been by far the largest importer of Chinese sulphuric acid, which it uses in a fifth of its copper mining operations. As nearly half of China’s sulphuric acid exports currently go to Chile, a ban on this export is expected to tighten leach capacity and thus solvent extraction–electrowinning (SX-EW) production in the region, adding another layer of uncertainty to supply.",{"type":595,"attrs":621},{"id":597,"body":622},[623],{"id":624,"_uid":625,"type":602,"component":603,"fixed_height":604,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":604,"fixed_height_tablet":604},"28500964","i-b9fce56e-07d2-4664-9325-f007db142f58",{"type":583,"attrs":627,"content":628},{"textAlign":49},[629],{"text":630,"type":588},"Albert Mackenzie, a copper analyst at Benchmark, says that Chile and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) rely particularly heavily on acid imports for mining, and that reduced access to them “may go some way to explain why copper prices have remained high despite the broad macroeconomic concerns”.",{"type":583,"attrs":632,"content":633},{"textAlign":49},[634],{"text":635,"type":588},"“High acid prices continue to support smelters who produce a lot of acid as a byproduct of their processes,” he adds, noting that “spot treatment charges (TCs) hit yet another record low of USD$78/t on 10 April.”",{"type":583,"attrs":637,"content":638},{"textAlign":49},[639],{"text":640,"type":588},"Some sources have indicated that the US could also be set to impose a ban on export of sulphuric acid, Mackenzie notes, which could further constrain supply to miners.",{"type":606,"attrs":642,"content":643},{"level":608,"textAlign":49},[644],{"text":645,"type":588,"marks":646},"Additional pressure for Indonesian HPALs",[647],{"type":614},{"type":583,"attrs":649,"content":650},{"textAlign":49},[651],{"text":652,"type":588},"Indonesia’s nickel operations are also likely to be affected by the ban. The Indonesian Nickel Miners Association (APNI) recently stated that sulphuric acid inventories at HPAL facilities in Indonesia were sufficient for 45-60 days of MHP production, enough until the second half of May. While HPAL operations mostly import sulphur from which they then produce their own acid, others import sulphuric acid itself. However, this option is complicated by the need for an import license for sulphuric acid.",{"type":583,"attrs":654,"content":655},{"textAlign":49},[656],{"text":657,"type":588},"Indonesia primarily imports elemental sulphur from countries in the Middle East, which has been complicated by escalating conflict in the region. However, 62% of sulphuric acid imports into Indonesia came from China in 2025.",{"type":595,"attrs":659},{"id":597,"body":660},[661],{"id":662,"_uid":663,"type":602,"component":603,"fixed_height":604,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":604,"fixed_height_tablet":604},"28514812","i-b68a2014-75df-469f-b496-29b1d489a7cc",[665],{"slug":666,"name":667,"content":668},"albert-mackenzie","Albert Mackenzie",{"job_title":669,"image":670,"bio":672,"linkedin":673,"markets_covered":674},"Copper Analyst & Market Reporter",{"filename":671},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/717x799/ffff7198e8/albert.jpeg","Albert is Benchmark's copper reporter, covering both supply and demand on the short term and adding narratives to the data and price movements. Albert writes the copper briefing and a lot of Benchmark's near term copper coverage.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/albert-mackenzie-b34681149/","Copper","article","China to potentially ban sulphuric acid exports amid Iran war",[678,680],{"slug":679,"name":150},"nickel",{"slug":681,"name":674},"copper","private",{"id":684,"alt":604,"name":604,"focus":604,"title":604,"source":604,"filename":685,"copyright":604,"fieldtype":686,"meta_data":687,"is_external_url":50},165795851988487,"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/876x585/2f45d7e857/screenshot-2026-04-14-124446.png","asset",{},{"id":689,"alt":604,"name":604,"focus":604,"title":604,"source":604,"filename":690,"copyright":604,"fieldtype":686,"meta_data":691,"is_external_url":50},129066369579184,"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/39e88178e2/bm-china-flag.jpg",{},"Apr 14, 2026","14th April 2026",[],[],1780500911579]