[koolala]

What is the standard non-renewable resource used for the recovery process? What materials are used up as catalysts to convert it back?

[Sabinus]

Sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, sodium carbonate. Not catalysts but reagents. Most currently come from fossil fuel feedstock but that isn't essential.

[mattclarkdotnet]

Why would any of those compounds come from fossil fuels? Sulfur is mined, hydrogen peroxide is water with some oxygen taken off, and sodium carbonate is made from salt and limestone

[Perz1val]

Because they can, because when refining petroleum products you get a lot of crap that's not carbohydrates

[wombatpm]

Sulfur is produced when the H2S is removed from petroleum and natural gas. Elemental sulfur is burned to produce Sulfuric acid using the Contact Process.

[Sohcahtoa82]

> hydrogen peroxide is water with some oxygen taken off

Isn't it water with some oxygen added?

[nicman23]

more importantly what is the cost versus getting it the non recyclable way

[koolala]

that way is 100% non-renewable, the important questions are the total long term costs