Magazine: Sulphur

Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Company (AMMC) has awarded Metso Outotec a euro 70 million order for the delivery of two sulphuric acid plants to be built for AMMC’s zinc roasting facility in Almalyk, Uzbekistan. Metso Outotec’s scope of delivery includes the design and delivery of Planet Positive equipment for two gas cleaning and sulphuric acid plants, which will process all off-gases from the zinc roasters into industrial-grade sulphuric acid. In addition, Metso Outotec will deliver utility facilities, such as a common cooling tower system and a common air compressor system.

Last year attention was drawn to the potential for large scale decarbonisation to leave the world short of the key resources of sulphur, and hence sulphuric acid. But is there a global sulphur shortage on the distant horizon?

The world has seen a number of hydrogen explosions in double absorption plants mostly in the intermediate absorption tower (IAT). To review this increase and to determine the causes, an International Hydrogen Safety Workgroup was formed including major acid plant contractors, major acid producers, and consultants in the sulphuric acid arena. Davis & Associates Consulting explores some of the findings.

CO2 emission abatement strategies have become increasingly important as the world strives to combat global climate change. RATE discusses carbon capture options available for sulphur recovery units.

Sulphur run-down lines are typically sized by referencing past projects and ‘rules of thumb’. Very little analysis is performed to identify the impacts of slope, fittings, valves, etc. It is critical to maintain an open vapour path from the condenser to the sealing device. CSI has observed problems in the field which appear to be caused by undersized run-down lines and has developed a method of predicting the liquid level in a run-down line that considers the most common elements.

NORAM has recently introduced a patented acid entrainment mitigation device (EMD) to deal with acid mist carryover from sulphuric acid towers.

In its final report on the June 2019 explosion and fire at Philadelphia Energy Solutions in southwest Philadelphia, the US Chemical Safety Board has said that US refineries need to strengthen their safeguards surrounding the use of hydrofluoric acid, and has also recommended that the US Environmental Protection Agency take steps to improve its oversight of the chemical, which is used as an alkylation agent.

Topsoe has made a number of changes to its board. Kim Saaby Hedegaard has been appointed as the company’s new Executive Vice President, Power-to-X. Hedegaard has served as interim Head of Power-to-X since May 2022. Before that, he held the position as Chief Operations Officer (COO). He joined Topsoe in 1999 and has since held various leadership positions within engineering, technology, and sales. Since 2017, he was responsible for Catalyst Production and Technology globally. He holds a MSc in chemical engineering from the Technical University of Denmark. He is replaced as COO by Andreas Bruun Jørgensen.

A report on CRU’s annual Sulphur + Sulphuric Acid conference, which returned to being face to face meeting at the end of October 2022.

The energy transition has already commenced and while sulphuric acid production is already virtually carbon free, there will likely still be impacts on the sulphuric acid industry resulting from this energy transformation. Hannes Storch, Shailesh Chandrol, Collin Bartlett and Jens Kleiber of Metso Outotec present their view on a roadmap to sustainability, preparing for energy transition in the sulphuric acid industry through permanent product development, digitalisation and new technologies.