37th AFA International Technical Conference & Exhibition

CONFERENCE REPORT

37th AFA International Technical Conference & Exhibition

Delegates gathered at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) in Benguerir City, Morocco, 16-18 September 2025, for the 37th Arab Fertilizer Association (AFA) International Technical Conference & Exhibition. We present selected highlights from this year’s three-day event.

Shaping the future

The theme of this year’s event was ‘Driving Innovation, Sustainability, and Collaboration in the Global Fertilizer Industry’.

The conference opened with an expert panel discussion on the fertilizer strategies that are needed as the industry shifts to production decarbonisation and moves towards sustainable growth. With this in mind, host Mike Nash, Senior Editor, Fertilizer, Argus Media, asked what strategies will most influence and shape the fertilizer industry in the coming years?

“I think it all starts from our ambitions to reach net zero and us driving a very conscious sustainability agenda, in terms of regulations, technological developments, innovation and practical implementation,” said Yassir Ghiyate, Managing Director, Topsoe, EMEA region. “I think the strategies that producers implement will be rooted in these aspects.”

“I would say that one strategy that will take a larger focus in the future is actually trying to navigate the political landscape,” said Frederick Kessler, Head of Ammonia & Urea Revamps, thyssenkrupp. “It’s getting more complicated with protectionist policies, in addition to the CO2 taxes that will probably increase. So that’s one strategy – just to simply understand how this will all play out in the future.”

“Something we’re already seeing now is simply plant efficiency, right?,” Kessler added. “Just having production plants run in a more efficient way will automatically translate into reduced carbon dioxide emissions; and this is helpful for the CO2 taxes which will ultimately be put onto the end product.”

“The first one [strategy] seems a bit obvious – like Frederick said – it’s about the decarbonisation of existing and future plants,” said Ermanno Filippi, Chief Technology Officer, Casale. “And, in a way, we see this starting to take place with a lot of projects lately.”

“A second trend that is just starting – and, I think, will shape the industry in the future – is the fact that renewables are available almost everywhere,” Filippi added. “So, this opens the possibility of producing fertilizer where there are no plants today; one example is the plant that will be built [by ATOME and Casale] in Paraguay.”

“At OCP, it is much more than upgrading our systems. It’s about a new world in mining, shifting to very efficient practises and procedures, remote technology and integrated remote operation centres,” said Noureddine Ajim, Vice President, Head of Exploratory Mines, OCP. “[But] it is not only about machines; it’s also about people sustainability and allowing teams to work smarter and safer to allow us to reduce our footprints.”

Smart solutions, AI and data-driven tech

In this technical session, Jesper Poulsen, Senior Sales Manager, Baker Hughes highlighted the benefits of Cordant™ Asset Performance Management (APM).

“With the current Cordant™ APM 3.0 version, we want to bring one integrated solution that can really quantify the risk and cost opportunities to your current assets. This can be deployed from end-to-end to improve overall performance and balance risk versus cost. The three main pillars are: asset health management, asset strategy management, and asset de-fragmentation.”

Cordant™ is already generating results. Jesper gave an example for an oil & gas industry customer who’d achieved a 37% cut in production losses over 10 years:

“How do we reap the benefits from it [Cordant™ ]?,” asked Poulsen. “So, one of the largest petrochemical companies in America is already saving more than $15 million per year from increased plant reliability, availability, reduced maintenance costs – I’ll let you do your own calculations.”

Importantly, Cordant™ incorporates AI-based process optimisation. Poulsen explained how AI was enabling producers to be more predictive in their maintenance schedule, avoid unplanned shutdowns and maximise the efficiency of their operations.

The technology is particularly useful at analysing the dynamic conditions (feed gas compositions; ambient conditions; equipment performance; feed and demand constraints; feed, energy and product prices) that can negatively affect production – in terms of reduced margins, less throughput and lower energy efficiency.

“AI allows you to digest and understand big data that might otherwise be hard to quantify. The metaphor I give is that it’s like finding a needle in a haystack: you have a large swathe of data; how do you dig out that right number, the number that can improve your efficiency?,” Poulsen asked.

“Well, feed gas efficiency is changing, ambient conditions and your equipment performance are changing, even the demand constraints are changing. All these reduce your margins, they reduce your throughput, they reduce your efficiency. That’s the benefits of the [AI-based] solution,” he said.

Typical customer benefits of the AI-enabled Cordant™ system include a 1-2% production increase and a 5-10% reduction in specific energy use. Poulsen used the results of a case study for a Middle East ammonia plant to highlight what can be achieved.

“I’m quite proud of this. The major outcome so far has been that we boosted ammonia production by 50 tonnes per day. We ranked critical assets and reduced or avoided more than 50 hours of downtime [over a three month period],” he said.

Dr Sascha Wenzel, Head of Asset Management and Digital Products, thyssenkrupp Uhde, outlined how plant performance can be optimised by combining process know-how with digitalisation. His presentation took a deep dive into remote performance monitoring (RPM), operator training simulators, and both ‘white-box’ and ‘black-box’ digital twins.

These digital products have a positive impact on ammonia and urea plant profitability. Typical improvements/benefits include:

• Plant availability: +1-3%

• Production: +1-3%

• Efficiency: +3-5%

• Quality: +0.5-3%

• Maintenance costs: -1-3%.

White-box type digital twins are based on a very detailed process simulation and are applicable to ammonia plants, for example.

“The advantage is that users can understand the relationship between input and output parameters. The disadvantage is that you need a very deep knowledge about process steps within the plant, which is not always a given,” said Dr Wenzel.

Black-box type models, in contrast, are based on AI or, more specifically, machine learning.

“[The black-box digital twin] is based on AI and statistics; typically, we apply a neural network for this kind of system. The advantage is that it is suitable for very complex or poorly understood systems. The disadvantage is the interpretation of results is not that obvious in some cases,” he said.

thyssenkrupp Uhde have applied an AI-based black-box digital twin at a granulation plant for a customer in the Middle East – where it’s proving to be helpful predictive tool.

“Our customer can now predict the product quality for this plant and know whether this is being met,” Dr Wenzel said. “Even if plant parameters need adjusting before the next lab measurement, operators will still know in which region product quality will land.”

A low-carbon ammonia success story for Fertiglobe was presented by Sheikha Alshamsi and Hend Almahri, both Chemical Engineers at Fertil.

Fertiglobe achieved a major milestone when it shipped the world’s first certified low-carbon ammonia consignment (2,250 tonnes) to Japan’s Mitsui & Co in April 2024. This was followed by the shipment of a second certified consignment (6,459 tonnes) in November 2024, demonstrating Fertiglobe’s emerging leadership in low-carbon ammonia.

As Sheikha and Hend explained, the CO₂ captured from a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) unit at Fertil’s ammonia plant in the UAE was firstly condensed and then transported for injection into an underground reservoir (depth of 2,750 ft) at ADNOC’s onshore Al-Falaha Site. Certification body TÜV SÜD evaluated this carbon capture and storage (CCS) process and, in a landmark moment, issued Fertil with its first certificate for low-carbon ammonia production in May last year.

Innovative process technologies

This information-packed session included presentations from:

• Abdenour Jbili, CEO, OCP Maintenance Solutions, on the use of AI-powered predictive analytics – and how these are redefining both industrial reliability and maintenance.

• Svenja Blechmann, Department Manager, Steinmüller Engineering, on waste heat boiler optimisation at fertilizer plants.

• Casale’s Ammonia Technology Leader, Davide Carrara, on technologies for decarbonising fertilizer production, while his colleague Paolo Bertini, its Head of Urea, outlined options for carbon mitigation during urea plant revamps (see Fertilizer International 528, p20)

• Topsoe’s Account Manager, Casper Frandsen, on how high-activity, potassium-promoted V₂O₅ catalysts can maximise sulphuric acid production and sustainability.

AI-driven predictive maintenance is not a future dream, it’s already here, according to Abdenour Jbili. He explained how two digital tools from OCP Maintenance Solutions (I-Sense® and I-Predict®) are unlocking the full potential of AI for ‘machine health’.

He described I-Predict® as “the next evolution in predictive maintenance” as it:

• Learns autonomously from incoming data

• Does not require manual intervention for tuning or validation

• Detects faults dynamically, adjusting to new patterns.

The model continuously improves itself based on real-time operational data. The system is also designed to function independently from human oversight and works from day one, without the need for historical data.

Jbili also stressed the value of using AI in combination with expert human intelligence.

“With AI, you are not only talking about the intelligence you have in the software, but the intelligence we also have in our experts,” he said.

Decarbonisation of the fertilizer industry is no longer optional – it’s essential for a sustainable future, according to Casale’s Davide Carrara. He highlighted the importance for Casale of both:

• Cost-effectiveness: identifying the most efficient, cost-effective solutions to reduce environmental impact.

• Flexibility: different project scenarios demand technical solutions tailored to each business case.

Casale’s Flexigreen® green ammonia technology offers this flexibility, being suitable for: new plants, hybridisation revamps (which partly convert grey plants to green ammonia), and full grey-to-green plant conversions.

Casale is the technology licensor and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner for ATOME’s Villeta project in Paraguay (Fertilizer International 525, p22). Described as the world’s first green fertilizer complex, the project will have the capacity to produce 768 t/d of calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and incorporates Casale’s Smart-N, DualPURE, NitroPIPE and NitroCULTIVA processes.

“The Villeta project is very important to us because the accompanying offtake agreement [with Yara] is signed and ATOME is working fast towards the FID [final investment decision],” Carrara said.

Casale is also participating in a grey-to-green conversion project at the dual-train, 3,000 t/d capacity ammonia plant at Coromandel’s Kakinada complex in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Green innovation and process optimisation

Presenting during this session were:

• Rabie Labiad, OCP Group’s Chief Programme Officer, on the company’s demetallization initiative.

• Stamicarbon’s Senior Process Engineer, Paz Munoz, on how its proprietary technology is revolutionising nitric acid production and making the industry greener.

• Alireza Moghaddam, Navigance’s Sales Account Manager, on how real-time monitoring and machine learning with CLARITY™ Prime is helping drive ammonia production efficiency and sustainability.

• Ballestra’s Sales & Proposals Manager, Stefano Vignando, on a new cost-effective potassium sulphate (SOP) production method.

OCP Group’s strategic objectives for 2027-2030 include the demetallization of fertilizers, explained Rabie Labiad. This includes a target to reduce the cadmium content of all its phosphoric acid and fertilizer output to below 20 mg Cd/kg P₂O₅ by the end of 2025, given “the urgency and ease of deployment of the decadmiation technologies”.

This target will be achieved by treating phosphoric acid in three ways using:

• Using co-crystallisation to remove cadmium from two million tonnes of fertilizer production capacity by the first quarter of 2025.

• Ramping up fertilizer decadmiation based on additive injection (by the second quarter of 2025).

• Then deploying JESA technology based on precipitation by the first quarter of 2026.

OCP is also planning to use ion-exchange resins to capture cadmium and other metals (As, Cr, Cu, Ni) with a pilot plant planned for the third quarter of next year.

A patented wet-process route for potassium sulphate (SOP) production, recently developed by Ballestra, was introduced by Stefano Vignando.

While the established Mannheim process is a technically-proven and widely-used method for commercial SOP production, it does have limitations such as:

• High energy consumption. The process requires continuous heating at high temperatures (~600–700°C).

• Corrosion. The reaction produces highly corrosive hydrogen chloride (HCl).

• Emissions. HCl emissions require treatment to meet environmental regulations.

• By-product handling. The HCl by-product needs to be captured (as a 30-35% solution) and used in other processes or sold.

“The Mannheim process, available from Ballestra, is very proven, widely used with a few limitations – [such as] harsh conditions, HCl formation, emissions, gas consumption,” said Vignando. “We [therefore] tried to develop an alternative that works in mild conditions, room temperature, with no gas consumption, lower electricity consumption and a product that is compliant with market standards, and has another advantage – a second fertilizer product.”

This new wet-route process provides a more sustainable and cost-effective method of producing fertilizer-grade SOP, in Ballestra’s view. It reacts together ammonium sulphate and potassium chloride to generate a ‘mother liquor’ alongside SOP. This co-product, a solution of nitrogen, sulphur and potassium, makes a suitable liquid fertilizer, suggests Ballestra, or could be blended with other fertilizers.

Decarbonisation and resource valorisation

Presenting during this session were:

• Prayon PROFILE’s Business Development Manager, Pierre Henri Thiefaine, on meeting high industry expectations during liquid-solid separation at phosphoric acid plants

• Marc Sonveaux, Head of Industrialization at Prayon Technologies, on using the valorisation of fluorosilicic acid to improve phosphoric acid plant efficiency and sustainability.

• Hicham Laayouni, OCP’s Head of Sustainability, on the company’s decarbonisation initiative.

Pierre Henri Thiefaine highlighted the overall strength of Prayon Group and the synergies between its individual companies.

“Prayon PROFILE is the manufacturer of critical equipment positioned at the heart of phosphoric acid plants. It’s good to have a machine, for sure, but PROFILE is nothing without the expertise of Prayon Technologies – we don’t forget that!,” he said.

Thiefaine presented four phosphoric acid plant (PAP) case studies with contrasting demands, solutions and project outcomes:

• Improved liquid-solid separation at a PAP delivered a volume increase of 25-27% P2O5 through a Prayon PROFILE filter. This involved load cell optimisation and adjustments to the wash supply and rotation speed of the primary filter.

• Supply of 4 attack agitators, 3 digestion agitators and a gas scrubber at a PAP. This provided an additional 450 t/d P₂O₅ output for limited capex versus a new line.

• A Prayon PROFILE filter (design capacity 400-1,100 t/d P₂O₅  supplied to a new high-end PAP as a package with other equipment items offered the following guarantees: filter (0.2% soluble P2O5 in gypsum), agitator (1% insoluble P₂O₅  in gypsum), Praysep (99.8% P₂O₅ yield) and a gas scrubber (5 mg/Nm³ F limit).

• Finally, the operator of a new PAP decided to purchase Prayon PROFILE equipment due to several factors: its reputation as a renowned OEM, the availability of spares and the provision of maintenance services within Morocco.

Marc Sonveaux opened his presentation by explaining why problem-solving and sustainability are both important to Prayon Technologies.

“Firstly, sustainability is very important to us as the basis for a brighter future. Secondly, we believe at Prayon Technologies that there are no problems. [Instead,] the problems that we might encounter are actually a source of inspiration – and that’s a mindset, I believe, we should all keep in mind,” he said

As an example of this approach, Sonveaux suggested that the fluorosilicic acid (FSA) generated at phosphoric acid plants has value and therefore should be recovered not released. Fluorine removal processes widely used currently, which typically neutralise FSA, destroy its value, he said.

Prayon is instead proposing a novel production route for dicalcium phosphate (DCP) – see Fertilizer International 528, p16 – as a sustainable method for valorising the acidity of FSA. As well as providing effective fluorine management at phosphoric plants, it also generates high quality, saleable DCP and gypsum products.

Pilot tests suggest that integrating a DCP unit within an existing phosphoric acid plant would typically deliver:

• 28,000 t/a P₂O₅

• 70,000 t/a DCP

• 110,000 t/a gypsum.

To implement this DCP route, and ensure it is a viable option for individual phosphate producers, Sonveaux emphasised the importance of laboratory- and pilot-scale testing at facilities such as Technophos. “Every phosphate rock is different and should be fully validated to give its best,” he said

The world is entering a critical phase of climate disruption, with increasingly visible consequences, said Hicham Laayouni. The socio-economic impacts include some staggering headline figures:

• Number of people exposed to extreme heat waves globally in June 2024: 4.97 billion

• Hours of labour lost due to heat exposure globally in 2023: 512 billion

• Global cost of climate related disasters in 2024: $417 billion

• Cost of natural disasters to the US economy in 2024: $218 billion.

“It’s a global change that concern all of us. OCP, as a large-scale manufacturing company, recognises its impact and its contribution to climate change,” Laayouni said.

He went on to explain how OCP, as a global leader in agriculture and mining, has launched a structured and ambitious roadmap to decarbonise both its operations and value chain. This includes targets to become operationally carbon neutral (Scope 1 & 2 emissions) by 2030 and then move to complete carbon neutrality (including Scope 3 emissions) by 2040.

OCP’s 2024 footprint of 20.37 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) includes 16.25 million tonnes of Scope 3 emissions. Its operational emissions (3.35 CO₂e Scope 1 and 0.767 CO₂e Scope 2) split as follows:

• Processes (release of CO₂ sequestered in the rock): 55%

• Combustion (drying, calcination, own transportation): 26%

• Electricity (Scope 2): 19%.

“We have established a comprehensive and actionable roadmap which has allowed us to decrease our impact,” Laayouni said.

The company is acting quickly to reduce its carbon intensity at scale with major wins already achieved (wind power, energy co-generation, slurry pipeline, mine reclamation). Other wide-ranging and large-scale measures, meanwhile, are ongoing and/or well-advanced (e.g., CCS/CCU, green drying, heat recovery, energy efficiency, green ammonia, renewable energy, carbon farming etc).

Next-gen fertilizer solutions

This session included presentations from:

• GEA’s Business Unit Head, Laurent Palierne, on the company’s process engineering activities in fertilizers.

• Mohamed Baqili, Process & Product Development Manager, and Tarik Bou Ighiden, Strategic Planning Project Manager, OCP Group, on fertilizer customisation to boost agricultural efficiency.

• Anna Dikova, R&D Manager, Technophos, on ‘pushing the boundaries of phosphates’.

• Saipem’s Urea Technology Specialist, Francesco Viola, on Snamprogetti Super Cups for enhancing the efficiency of urea synthesis.

GEA’s expertise in the design, engineering and supply of production units for tMAP (technical monoammonium phosphate) was highlighted by Laurent Palierne. The company’s proven track-record for this leading water-soluble fertilizer (WSF) includes a dozen references for production plants, basic engineering, and laboratory-and pilot-scale studies.

GEA’s offers two processes for tMAP production from purified phosphoric acid (PPA) and merchant-grade acid (MGA), respectively. Both these routes generate high quality tMAP with up to 0.01% impurities and 0.01 % insolubles. It’s also possible to produce other WSFs (DAP 21-53-0or MKP from PPA) from the same units, subject to lab testing and validation.

The MGA route, which requires two crystallisation stages, delivers tMAP with a purity equivalent to that produced from more expensive PPA, while offering a faster return of investment, Palierne said. The process is also flexible, as the pre-treatment required can be customised according to the origin of the MGA and the target market.

“We have technologies to produce technical MAP from PPA or MGA and can tailor the process, based on requirements,” Palierne summed up. “We have a robust and reliable solution to offer the market, and we can make larger units [than 200,000 t/a] if needed.”

Phosphates are wonderful resources that have their challenges, said Anna Dikova. In fact, Technophos, a research centre located in Devnya, Bulgaria, actively seeks out and embraces such challenges.

“In Technophos, we believe there are no difficult materials – if you choose the right technologies, the right set up to test the process and then optimise,” Dikova said. “We love the challenges from raw materials because they give us the opportunity for innovation.”

Technophos is owned equally by Prayon Group and Morocco’s University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P). Created in June 2013, this fully equipped R&D and innovation centre, run by a team of 37 skilled and experienced professionals, offers to develop and validate new phosphate industry technologies through:

• A semi-industrial testing and demonstration platform

• The design and production of prototypes and tailor-made equipment

• Training for operators and engineers.

The company’s technology portfolio notably includes the HCl-based Ecophos process, the H₂SO₄-based GMP process, the Puma purification process, the PELP process and Prayon’s FSA process. These are all designed to create value from low-grade phosphate ores.

Dikova encouraged the industry to collaborate on achieving its sustainability goals.

“I urge you, let’s explore the limits of phosphate together and work towards a more sustainable industry. Because the boundaries we push today will define the sustainability of tomorrow,” she concluded.

Carbon capture, green additives & global outlook

This final conference session included presentations from:

• NAQ Global’s VP Operations, Fernanda Dias, on enhancing phosphate efficiency with green additives.

• Kent Martin, Agronomic Consultant, Shell Sulphur Solutions, on how Thiogro technology for sulphur-enhanced urea can improve crop uptake and reduce emissions.

• CRU’s Principal Consultant, Willis Thomas, on fertilizer market supply and demand trends.

Willis Thomas, in a thorough and insightful fertilizer market briefing, highlighted both the rise and fragmentation of prices being seen under current supply-controlled conditions. His key takeaways were:

• Fertilizer affordability is deteriorating in 2025. Crop prices are in decline and fertilizer prices rising, albeit at vastly different levels.

• Nitrogen prices are showing continued volatility. Trade frictions are seeing prices move higher, despite reasonable supply.

• Phosphate & potash prices continue to diverge. Polar opposite supply outlooks dovetail previously closely coupled prices.

Looking further out to 2029, Thomas expected fertilizer prices to generally fall, while current price disparities should largely persist, in his view.

2026 Arab Fertilizer Association Annual Conference

The 32nd AFA International Annual Conference & Exhibition will be held in Cairo, Egypt, 7–9 April 2026, with the theme ‘Sustainable Environment and Safe Food’. The call for papers has been announced: arabfertilizer.org/blog/newss/call-forpapers-announcement/