Category: Products

Around 1 million gallons of sulphuric acid was released from an industrial facility, some of it into the Houston Ship Channel, in late December. A pipeline ruptured when an elevated walkway collapsed at the BWC Terminals facility in Channelview, east of Houston. Two people were transported to a hospital and subsequently released, while 44 others were treated and released at the scene. BWC Terminals said in a statement the majority of the sulphuric acid released was into a designated containment area, with a smaller, unknown amount entering the ship channel.

Korea Zinc says it will partner with the US government to construct a critical minerals smelter in Clarksville, Tennessee, producing zinc, lead, and copper. Korea Zinc will begin site preparation next year, followed by phased commercial operations from 2029. The plant is planned to process around 1.0 million t/a of raw materials and turn out 540,000 st/a of finished products. Processing of gold, silver, and key strategic minerals such as antimony, indium, bismuth, tellurium, cadmium, palladium, gallium and germanium, are also planned in what is being touted as a "state-of-the-art" facility. Sulphuric acid and semiconductor-grade sulphuric acid will also be produced. The output will include 300,000 t/a of zinc production, 200,000 t/a of lead, 35,000 t/a of copper and 5,100 t/a of rare and strategic metals. Development will be through Korea Zinc’s US subsidiary, Crucible Metals.

Heartland Sulphur says that it has debottlenecked its crushed bulk sulphur remelting operations, increasing capacity by 40%. Heartland says that the increase boosts the company’s sulphur handling efficiency and service capability for producers and buyers. It has also completed a full feasibility study and retained engineering partners to add an additional 1,000 t/d of sulphur remelt capacity, slated to be fully operational by yearend 2026. Heartland Sulphur can form 4,500 t/d for offshore markets, transport molten sulphur by tank car to destinations across North America, and accept and condition sulphur in both molten and solid states. The company’s existing remelt capacity stands at 700 t/d and is projected to reach a total of 1,700 t/d (560,000 t/a) by the end of 2026.

Sulphur prices have risen rapidly in recent months as the market moves into a period of deficit which is likely to last until 2028.

The Chinese ammonium sulphate industry continues to see rapid growth, with exports rising to record levels, against increasing demand coming from Brazil and India.

At the end of December, the Russian government extended its ban on the export of technical sulphur until at least the end of March 2026. The move prolongs the initial restrictions, which were first reported on 4 November and which were set to expire at the end of 2025. The initial ban was widely expected and followed early September drone strikes on the Astrakhan and Orenburg natural-gas plants. The official justification for the extension remains to “stabilise shipments of raw materials to the domestic market” and maintain production volumes for mineral fertilizers, according to the government’s press service Interfax.

Arianne Phosphate says that the government of Canada has approved contribution funding of up to C$735,000 to support the company’s ongoing work on processing phosphate rock and optimising its purified phosphoric acid (PPA) process. The funding, provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration programme, is part of a C$80.3 million investment announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney to help build secure critical minerals supply chains in Canada. Phosphate was added to the Canadian critical mineral list in 2024. Arianne’s Lac à Paul project is the only fully permitted phosphate mine in the country. Arianne is now actively pursuing opportunities for the downstream production of PPA, a necessary ingredient for lithium-iron-phosphate batteries.

• CRU’s latest global sulphur forecast is for a January price peak before a decline, with the key downside risk being a sharper correction if the supply deficit closes faster than expected. The global sulphur market’s upward momentum has been slowing, with attention shifting to geopolitical risks in Iran. Despite limited physical disruption being reported, the upside risk to prices could be substantial. Following the US bombing of an Iranian nuclear facility back in June, supply from Iran became bottlenecked, despite good production levels, as vessel owners became unwilling to call at ports like Bandar Abbas due to the increased risk.

The switch towards battery technologies like lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is leading to major growth in demand for sulphur and sulphuric acid.

Madhya Bharat Agro Products has announced board approval for a major capacity expansion at its Dhule manufacturing facility. The expansion represents a comprehensive enhancement of the company's fertilizer production capabilities, including 330,000 t/a of diammonium phosphate and NPK fertilizer, a 66,000 t/a phosphoric acid plant, and a 396,000 t/a sulphuric acid plant. The expansion plan is part of a strategy of vertical integration in fertilizer production. The addition of phosphoric acid and sulphuric acid production capabilities will support the primary DAP/NPK manufacturing operations, creating operational synergies and potentially reducing input costs, according to the company.