Magazine: 393 Jan-Feb 2025

Ammonia markets saw a slow start to 2025, with further transparency needed on both sides of the Suez to determine the extent to which prices are expected to fall through January amid healthy supply and only limited pockets of demand.

High energy storage costs for renewable-based technologies are likely to make European long term carbon prices considerably higher than their present levels.

A foundation laying ceremony attended by Qatar’s Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani has been held at Qafco’s new blue ammonia facility at Mesaieed Industrial City on Qatar’s east coast. The plant, which is scheduled to be completed in 4Q 2026, will be the largest blue ammonia facility in the world. Speaking at the ceremony, energy minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said the facility will have a capacity of 1.2 million t/a, along with CO2 injection and storage facilities with a capacity of 1.5 million t/a. QatarEnergy will also provide the new plant with more than 35 MW of electricity from the solar power plant currently being built in Mesaieed. Completion of the complex will see Qatar become the world’s largest exporter of urea, producing 12.4 million t/a, according to Qafco.

Prices in most markets should register declines through January, though the extent to which benchmarks will ease is yet unclear. Chinese suppliers have seen significant price declines in recent weeks.

In Part 4 of this series on stripper efficiency issues, we continue to look at the causes of lower stripper efficiency with a discussion on the high delta-P range of liquid dividers.

Carbon Recycling International (CRI), which operates a geothermally powered green methanol plant at Svartsengi, 40km southwest of Reykjavik, had to evacuate its site in late November when a 3km fissure opened in the earth a few kilometres away and lava began spilling across adjacent land. Satellite photos of the area taken on November 24 show a large field of molten and cooled lava to the north, west, and south of Svartsengi, though the plant itself remained undamaged. CRI’s Iceland facility runs on CO2 , water, and renewable electricity from the Svartsengi geothermal power station. CRI says the low-carbon energy source allows it to produce 4,000 t/a of methanol with a greenhouse gas footprint just 10–20% that of conventional methanol.

Blue hydrogen has emerged as a crucial technology for decarbonisation as nations around the world work towards net-zero carbon targets. By decarbonising hydrogen production and exploring clean hydrogen sources we can fully harness the potential of hydrogen in the global energy transition. Johnson Matthey, Topsoe and Casale report on their strategies and advanced technical solutions for large scale blue hydrogen production.

Syngas generation units (SGU) represent a large portion of the capital and operational expenditure of ammonia plants and are critical from a mechanical reliability standpoint. Related capex/opex optimisation and mitigation of possible operational problems are key targets for ammonia plant owners. Giovanni Manenti introduces NITROQUENCH® technology which focuses on these key targets for ammonia SGU.

The International Fertilizer Association (IFA) elected four new board members to its Board of Directors during the organisation’s Strategic General Meeting in London in November. The new board members are: Fahad Al-Battar, SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company; Youssef El Bari, OCP Nutricrops; Ahmed El-Hoshy, Fertiglobe plc; and Marc Hechler, EuroChem Group AG. The Strategic General Meeting also re-elected Marcos Sabelli, CEO of Profertil Agro for the second term.

The 38th Nitrogen+Syngas Expoconference will take place in Barcelona, Spain, from 10-12 February 2025. Join us at this industry leading event featuring the most comprehensive agenda to date.