In other news, AMETEK says that its 993X series of analysers, encompassing the 993X and 9933, are now ATEX and IECEx Zones 1 and 2, and ETL (North America) Class I Division 2 compliant for use in hazardous locations with ambient temperature up to +60ºC. Built with IP66 rated enclosures, the 993X analysers can be installed outdoors, or in minimally temperature-controlled enclosures, reducing both capital and operating costs.
India India has imposed five-year anti-dumping duties on six Chinese imports, including insoluble sulphur, mainly used in the vulcanisation of rubber. The move follows an investigation by India’s Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) last year, following a complaint by Oriental Carbon and Chemicals in March 2024. The period covered by the investigation was from 1st Jan 2023 to 31st Dec 2023, while the injury investigation period ran from April 2020 to 31st Dec 2023. DGTR made a determination that Chinese exporters had been selling the six products at unfairly low prices, adversely affecting the profitability of Indian producers. DGTR says that the duties it has imposed are “aligned with WTO norms” and aim to protect domestic industries from unfair trade practices and address the growing trade imbalance with China. According to the trade authority, the market share of the countries subject to duties “has been significantly increasing” while local Indian industry’s capacities are “lying idle” amid growing demand. n
New sulphur production from Chinese and Indian refineries and Middle Eastern sour gas and the ramp up of nickel leaching projects in Indonesia continue to change the direction of sulphur trade.
The progressive closure of smelter capacity in Australia poses potential problems for acid consumers across the country.
Saipem has won a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract from Sonatrach for an integrated phosphate fertilizer project in Algeria. The contract was awarded through a dual competitive process, enabling the design work to be conducted by both Saipem and a competitor company. Sonatrach will assess and compare the two FEED options from both parties, select the best technical and economic design, and then proceed with the direct award of an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to execute the project.
Kazakhstan Zinc (KazZinc) is progressing with plans to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions from its Ust-Kamenogorsk site following an environmental audit in December 2024 as a result of smogs caused fugitive emissions which forced residents to stay indoors. The site has reduced emissions from 69,000 t/a in 2011 to 15,000 t/a, but plans to invest $210 million in in new technologies, including sulphur dioxide recovery systems and upgraded filters for solid particle capture. The key measure is the modernisation of gas purification units which is expected to reduce SO2 emissions by 2,200 t/a by 2026. Another important initiative is the construction of the “Hydropolimet” workshop at the KazZinc Ridder metallurgical complex, which aims to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by 714 t/a.
• Global sulphur prices are expected to experience decreases over the next few weeks. Buyers in Asia report that they are covered for contracted supply throughout July, and domestic prices in China are likely to decrease further, putting downward pressure on sulphur prices.
OCP Nutricrops has received a certification that its customised phosphate fertilizers, developed specifically for the European market, meet the EU’s stringent low cadmium content requirements. The certified fertilizers contain less than 20 milligrams of cadmium per kilogram of phosphorus pentoxide (P2 O5 ), far below the European Union’s regulatory ceiling of 60 mg/kg. OCP Nutricrops says that it plans to expand this low-cadmium benchmark across all its fertilizer products worldwide by the end of 2025. Reducing cadmium in agricultural fertilizers is considered a public health priority across Europe. This initiative is closely aligned with EU goals to mitigate food-related health risks and safeguard ecosystems from harmful contaminants.
S&P has raised its 10-year production outlook for the Canadian oil sands. The latest forecast expects oil sands production to reach a record annual average production of 3.5 million bbl/d in 2025 (5% higher than 2024) and exceed 3.9 million bbl/d by 2030; half a million barrels per day higher than 2024. The 2030 projection is 100,000 bbl/d (or nearly 3%) higher than the previous outlook. Despite a lower oil price environment, the analysis attributes the increased projection to favourable economics, as producers continue to focus on maximising existing assets through investments in optimisation and efficiency. While large up-front, out-of-pocket expenditures over multiple years are required to bring online new oil sands projects, once completed, projects enjoy relatively low breakeven prices.
Ph osphate prices have been at high levels for a couple of years now, and talk at the recent International Fertilizer Association (IFA) meeting in Monaco was that it was not only continuing to support higher sulphur prices in spite of oversupply in the sulphur market, but that there seemed to be no prospect of it falling in the short term.