A chemical company is reviewing its production processes. It produces sulfuric acid in large quantities and also produces a specialised herbicide used in agriculture. Explain why the company would use different approaches to manufacture these two products, referring to the nature of each type of chemical and the scale and cost of production.

Sulfuric acid is a bulk chemical, so it is produced on a very large scale and in large quantities. The plant therefore uses a continuous process, which is efficient and cost‑effective for high‑volume production.

The specialised herbicide is a fine chemical, produced in much smaller amounts. Fine chemicals are more expensive per kilogram because the processes are more complex and the raw materials are costlier.

The herbicide must be manufactured to a high level of purity, with a specific degree of purity required for its agricultural use. To achieve this, a batch process is used, which allows the plant to change the product or adjust the formulation without re‑optimising the whole plant.

Thus, the company uses a continuous, large‑scale process for sulfuric acid and a batch, small‑scale process for the herbicide, reflecting the differences in scale, cost and purity requirements.