Category: Europe

Czech-headquartered Agrofert Group has established a new sub-holding company, AGF Nitrogen, a.s., to coordinate the activities of its pan-European chemical division.

Cefic has sharpened its warning over the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), saying the European Commission’s July revision proposal could accelerate deindustrialisation despite including some of the changes industry had asked for.

The Council of the EU has adopted a regulation giving member states new tools to support farmers hit by sharply higher fertilizer and input costs linked to the recent crisis in the Middle East.

Belarusian potash fertilisers remain barred from transiting through Lithuania to Klaipėda port under EU sanctions, after the General Court dismissed a challenge from terminal operator Birių Krovinių Terminalas UAB (BKT).

Potassium sulphate (SOP) samples produced at the company’s UK pilot plant are being sent to a number of fertilizer manufacturers and distributors across Europe.

Gouda Refractories Group has acquired Revestimientos Refractarios (RR), based in Madrid. Founded in 1979, RR specialises in the installation of refractory materials, serving customers across a wide range of industries, including petrochemicals, (waste to) energy, cement, and other industrial sectors. It is a trusted partner for the installation of refractory materials, hexmesh, anchoring, engineering, technical assistance, project management, inspections and supervision for shutdowns and turnarounds across the European Union. The company has a long history of cooperation with Gouda Refractories, which has intensified in recent years and which, due to a natural moment of succession, has led to this acquisition.

Russian gas producer Gazprom and fertilizer giant PhosAgro have signed a new five-year agreement for the supply of sulphur, according to a report from Interfax on 5 June. The deal, signed at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), will see Gazprom continue to supply the key raw material for PhosAgro’s phosphate fertilizer production. The document was signed by Gazprom Deputy Chairman Vitaly Markelov and PhosAgro CEO Alexander Gilgenberg.

Axens has signed an agreement with Air Liquide to acquire its methanol to olefins technology portfolio, including the Lurgi Methanol-to-Propylene ™ process. The company says that this addition expands its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) portfolio through Axens’ Jetanol ® process chain, offering its customers an end-to-end solution for SAF production through the methanol to jet pathway (MTJ).

Compact Syngas Solutions (CSS) says that it has completed work on a government funded demonstration project which aims to be “the next generation of waste-to-energy plants”. The new £4 million ($5.4 million) MicroHub plant, developed as part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme, produces hydrogen and electricity from biogenic waste while capturing carbon emissions using water scrubbing. Unlike traditional methods that use chemical solvents like amines, CSS’s system uses water to remove carbon dioxide from syngas, which the company says is a safer and more sustainable solution.

MaireGroup says that its NextChem subsidiary has completed the acquisition of the Ballestra group, a leading player in the licensing, design and engineering of processing plants, as well as in the supply of proprietary technologies and equipment for the chemical industry. NextChem says that the integration of Ballestra significantly strengthens its technology portfolio in phosphate and potassium fertilizers and completes its coverage of the full NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) spectrum. At the same time, it provides access to new segments with high growth potential, particularly in chemistry for the production and circularity of strategic materials needed to develop and expand electrification, where Nextchem is already present with metals recovery technologies following the recent acquisition of ETEK.