Sulfuric acid is made by oxidizing sulfur and sulfur compounds in steps. It is done with oxygen from air. If the oxygen were derived from water, byproduct hydrogen would be produced.

In oxidizing the sulfur electrolytically from the +4 to +6 valence state (which is its valence state in sulfuric acid), 0.8 million metric tons of hydrogen could be produced annually, 0.6 metric tons of it in Florida..

In the oxidation from the 0 to +4 state, 1.6 million metric tons of hydrogen could be produced annually, 1.2 million metric tons of it in Florida.

In the past, almost all the sulfur used for sulfuric acid production was mined. Now a majority of it is obtained from refineries who produce it as a means of disposing of waste hydrogen sulfide. They convert the hydrogen sulfide to sulfur and water by partial oxidation, using oxygen from air in the Claus process. If the sulfur were produced by electrolytic decomposition, 0.8 million metric tons of byproduct hydrogen could be produced. There are no refineries in Florida so as long as the hydrogen sulfide decomposition is largely confined to refineries, that production is not in Florida. As IGCC power plants proliferate, they will become a Florida source of hydrogen sulfide for more hydrogen production.

Nevertheless, potential Florida production of byproduct hydrogen in sulfuric acid manufacture exceeds the total current U.S. hydrogen production of 1.2 metric tons a year. Florida could go from zero to dominant as a source of hydrogen.