Running the gamut

“This rapidly increasing demand is leading to a significant shortfall in sulphur supply…”

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 in 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.

Elsewhere, Morocco’s phosphate expansions are also drawing in large tonnages of sulphur, as described on pages 18-21, and all of this rapidly increasing demand is leading to a significant shortfall in sulphur supply over the next couple of years, which has so far been made up for via the melting down of sulphur stockpiles, particularly held by sour gas processors in Canada and Central Asia. With acid from base metal smelters likely to rise, there may be lower operating rates for sulphur burners until the imbalance is resolved.

Politics of course also continue to play their role, with US trade policy and tariff regimens leading to uncertainty across a number of markets, particularly in the metals sector. A keynote panel on the afternoon of the first day of the conference will also tackle deglobalisation and the regional policy and regulatory landscape, global trade challenges and sanctions, and risk identification and mitigation.

But whatever the economic and regulatory framework, the meat of the conference, as of this issue, are the technical papers which cover all aspects of the sulphur value chain, from sulphur recovery units and amine treatment, to sulphur storage and sulphuric acid plant operation, both sulphur burning and metallurgical off-gas treatment. Emissions, efficiency and reliability are particular topics this time, as well of course as reducing environmental footprints and managing sulphur in biorefineries.

We look forward to welcoming you to Woodlands, and hope to see you there.

Richard Hands, Editor