Why is there Sulfur in Petroleum

Sulfur is denoted by the atomic symbol ‘S’ and is one of the 118 known chemical elements on the periodic table. Besides being a natural component in crude oil, sulfur is the 10th most common element in the world, found everywhere from bubbling hot springs to smoking volcanoes.

Sulfur is a key parameter used to classify petroleum products, with the terms “sweet” and “sour” used to indicate how much sulfur is contained in a particular blend.

According to the categories imposed by the New York Stock Exchange, oil containing less than 0.5% sulfur is classified as “sweet” and oil with a higher concentration of sulfur is classified as sour.