Where will we get sulfur and helium from when fossil fuel extraction declines?

Sulphur mound

Source: © P A Thompson/Getty Images

Effects of Gulf supply restrictions following US war on Iran hints at potential future challenges  

The sudden cutoff of supplies of oil, gas and associated chemicals caused by the US–Iran war has highlighted the depth and extent of our reliance on fossil fuels and chemical feedstocks. But it has also restricted sulfur and helium, which are produced as byproducts of fossil fuel extraction.

In the longer term, the world must transition away from fossil energy sources and toward renewables. What does that mean for supplies of those byproducts – as well as metals like germanium that are currently sourced from coal?