Nitrogen+Syngas 363 Jan-Feb 2020
31 January 2020
Nitrogen+Syngas Index 2019
A complete listing of all articles and news items that appeared in Nitrogen+Syngas magazine during 2019.
Latest in Outlook & Reviews
Acid from base metal smelting
Almost one third of sulphuric acid production, and a much greater share of globally traded acid, comes from smelting of base metal sulphides and the recovery of SO2 from flue gases. Smelter acid production continues to increase, particularly from copper, creating an imbalance in the sulphuric acid market.
Market Outlook
• The global sulphur market is forecast to enter a downward trend as supply from Saudi Arabia normalises following the summer months, while demand decreases alongside demand for phosphate fertilizers. The price is expected to fall towards the end of the year, with a low of around $220/t by May 2026.
Price Trends
The global sulphur market registered price increases during August as a result of demand in Asia and North Africa, while supply has tightened due to limited supply from the FSU and Saudi Arabia, as well as logistical constraints in both Iranian ports and railway capacity to Black Sea ports.
Running the gamut
This issue of Sulphur magazine contains a preview of CRU’s Sulphur + Sulphuric Acid conference in Woodlands, Texas, which is being held from November 3rd to 5th this year, giving delegates the opportunity to meet and discuss some of the trends which are continuing to change the sulphur and sulphuric acid industries. Some of this is echoed in our editorial coverage this issue; the rise of electric vehicles and the continuing electrification of society is changing demand for metals and impacting upon both sulphur and sulphuric acid markets alike. As CRU’s principal analyst Peter Harrison discusses on pages 36-37, battery demand for nickel is leading to a surge in new nickel leaching capacity in Indonesia which is drawing in greatly increased volumes of sulphur, while rising demand for copper is leading to additional volumes of smelter acid from China, India and Indonesia which are impacting the merchant market for acid, as detailed by CRU’s Viviana Alvorado on pages 38-40. In the United States, new lithium mines will require additional sulphur (see pages 22-23). Rare earths and battery metal recovery will form a major topic on the first day of the Sulphur + Sulphuric Acid conference, with speakers from Lithium Americas, one of the pioneers of the new US lithium industry.
South America’s nitrogen industry
South America has become the largest importing region for nitrogen fertilizers, with Brazil overtaking India as the world’s largest urea importer. While there have been attempts to use local gas to develop a domestic nitrogen industry, these have faced challenges on a number of fronts.