Venusian colony acid harvesting

[RocketSquid]

Would it be possible for a venus aerostat colony to harvest sulphuric acid from the clouds? If so, could it serve as a source of oxygen and water? Are there any viable industrial uses in-situ?

[cubinator]

Yes, maybe, maybe.

[kerbiloid]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103515000408

https://mipt.ru/dppe/upload/ispavr/2015_Krasnopolsky2.pdf

Afair the acid concentration is up to 10 ppm. So, you should refine a lot of carbon dioxide to get the acid.

[DAL59]

12 hours ago, RocketSquid said:

Would it be possible for a venus aerostat colony to harvest sulphuric acid from the clouds? If so, could it serve as a source of oxygen and water? Are there any viable industrial uses in-situ?

Yes.  Also, you could use the sulfur and nitrogen in the air to grow plants.

[MinimumSky5]

Sulphur is a vital nutrient for life and a very useful industrial feedstock, but its also very common in C type asteroids and on Io, which is far easier to get to than in the gravity well of Venus. Also, if you did float a colony in Venus's atmosphere, it would be several kilometers above the clouds, complicating their collection. 

[DAL59]

10 minutes ago, MinimumSky5 said:

Also, if you did float a colony in Venus's atmosphere, it would be several kilometers above the clouds, complicating their collection. 

You send down a collection plane/blimp.

10 minutes ago, MinimumSky5 said:

but its also very common in C type asteroids and on Io, which is far easier to get to than in the gravity well of Venus. Also, if you did float a colony in Venus's atmosphere, it would be several kilometers above the clouds, complicating their collection. 

Venus has the advantage of relatively low radiation, the ability to aerobrake and use propellers and nuclear/electric jets, earthlike gravity, and sunlight.  

[kerbiloid]

16 hours ago, DAL59 said:

Venus has the advantage of relatively low radiation, the ability to aerobrake and use propellers and nuclear/electric jets, earthlike gravity, and sunlight.  

And no local minerals.