Category: Outlook & Reviews

A complete listing of all articles and news items that appeared in Fertilizer International during 2020

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, we look ahead at fertilizer industry prospects for the next 12 months, including the key economic and agricultural drivers likely to shape the market during 2021.

Market Insight courtesy of Argus Media

Despite the unprecedented economic woes inflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the global MOP industry still managed to endure in 2020, says Andy Hemphill , senior editor for potash at ICIS Fertilizers, thanks to its ‘essential’ status.

No one in this industry should ever need a reminder that commodity markets are cyclical. The corollary of that is – every once in a while – markets can, and will, abruptly change direction.

The degradation of fertilizer granules during handling and storage can be economically-costly and therefore needs to be avoided. Preventing unwanted caking and dust formation requires tailor-made coatings, as Kim ten Wolde, product manager at Holland Novochem, explains.

During this time of disruption, keeping connected nd informed has never been more important. While the in-person events the industry usually relies on are not possible, CRU’s Phosphates 2021 Virtual Conference, 23-25 March, offers exceptional information sharing and networking opportunities.

Fertilizer International presents a global round-up of phosphate rock, phosphoric acid and finished phosphates projects.

It can’t have escaped anyone’s notice that the question of the carbon intensity of ammonia and downstream nitrogen compound production has been one of the main industry talking points for the past year. Everyone seems to be talking about ammonia of different colours – green ammonia, blue ammonia, and all shades of turquoise in between. If you are confused, it may not be surprising, as these words have come to cover a wide variety of different methods and technologies for producing ammonia, and their green credentials consequently come in a whole range of different shades.

The year 2020 will be remembered as an uncertain, demanding and challenging year. When faced with a global pandemic, companies have adopted new approaches and remote inspection, monitoring and training using the latest digital tools has been key for the successful completion of projects. Stamicarbon, Casale and KBR share some of their experiences of the past year.