Carbonyl Sulfide - Occurrence

Occurrence

Carbonyl sulfide is the most abundant sulfur compound naturally present in the atmosphere, at 0.5 (± 0.05) ppb, because it is emitted from oceans, volcanos and deep sea vents. As such, it is a significant compound in the global sulfur cycle. Measurements on the Antarctica ice cores and from air trapped in snow above glaciers (firn air) have provided a detailed picture of OCS concentrations from 1640 to the present day and allow an understanding of the relative importance of anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic sources of this gas to the atmosphere. Some carbonyl sulfide that is transported into the stratospheric sulfate layer is oxidized to sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid forms particulate which affects energy balance due to light scattering. The long atmospheric lifetime of CSO makes it the major source of stratospheric sulfate, though sulfur dioxide from volcanic activity can be significant too. Carbonyl sulfide is also removed from the atmosphere by terrestrial vegetation by enzymes associated with the uptake of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, and by hydrolysis in ocean waters. Loss processes, such as these, limit the persistence (or lifetime) of a molecule of COS in the atmosphere to a few years.

The largest man-made sources of carbonyl sulfide release include its primary use as a chemical intermediate and as a byproduct of carbon disulfide production; however, it is also released from automobiles, coal-fired power plants, biomass combustion, fish processing, combustion of refuse and plastics, petroleum manufacture, and manufacture of synthetic fibers, starch, and rubber. The average total worldwide release of carbonyl sulfide to the atmosphere has been estimated at about 3 million tons/year, of which less than one third was related to human activity. It is also a significant sulfur-containing impurity in synthesis gas.

Carbonyl sulfide is present in foodstuffs, such as cheese and prepared vegetables of the cabbage family. Traces of COS are naturally present in grains and seeds in the range of 0.05–0.1 mg kg−1.

Carbonyl sulfide has been observed in the interstellar medium (see also List of molecules in interstellar space) and in the atmosphere of Venus, where, because of the difficulty of producing COS inorganically, it is considered a possible indicator of life.