Germany's chemical industry association VCI has warned that continued low water on the Rhine and other inland waterways could force chemical companies to cut production, as Berlin publicly acknowledged the freight squeeze and put a relaxation of the Sunday lorry driving ban up for review.
EuroChem has reportedly suspended operations at its Lifosa phosphate fertilizer plant in Kėdainiai, Lithuania, on the back of high raw material sulphur costs, CRU reported on 10 August.
Worley says that it has been awarded an engineering services contract by United States Strategic Metals to support the development of a multi-metallic processing hub in Missouri, United States. This will include the development of a cobalt refinery and a black mass recycling process line.
Canada's Capstone Copper has approved a $45 million pyrite recovery project at its Mantoverde copper operation in Chile that will cut the mine's sulphuric acid consumption by around 90,000 t/y, the company said in its second-quarter results on 30 July.
India’s government has set out a package of measures to strengthen domestic fertilizer production, diversify raw material and import sources, and ensure uninterrupted availability of fertilizers despite global supply disruptions and price volatility.
TotalEnergies says that, along with partners ADNOC, CNPC and Eni, it has reached a final investment decision (FID) for the $6.2 billion Umm Shaif Gas Cap development in the Umm Shaif and Nasr offshore concession. ADNOC Offshore is the field operator.
Koch Ag & Energy Solutions is buying a 50% share in Jorf Fertilizers Company I (JFC I) as part of a second joint venture with OCP Nutricrops.
The board of Yunnan Yuntianhua gave the go ahead for the development of a massive underground phosphate mine in Yunnan province on 14th May. The major Chinese producer part owns the mine project through a 35% stake in its developer Julin New Materials. The other three owners are Yuntianhua Group (55%), Zhaotong Development Group (9%) and Zhenxiong Chanyi Investment (1%).
Arianne Phosphate has provided samples of its phosphate concentrate for processing at Travertine’s facility in Boulder, Colorado, US. Pilot scale testing was successfully performed, demonstrating proof of concept on the process and production of a high-quality purified phosphoric acid (PPA). The Travertine process captures and recycles over 95% of the sulphur used in the process of making PPA, providing a virtually closed loop system. The PPA produced using the process met specifications required for both LFP batteries as well as fertilizers. The companies have begun work to advance the PPA demonstration plant in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, working with potential partners as well as end-users of the product.
Hongda's 100,000 t/a zinc smelter, in China's Sichuan Province, completed scheduled maintenance and equipment upgrading and officially resumed production on 21st June, the company said. The smelter had been shut down for planned maintenance since January, during which time a modernisation project for the electrolytic zinc smelting system was also carried out. Following the nearly six-month revamp, the resumption of production is expected to improve overall operational efficiency, reduce unit production costs, and increase the utilisation rate, The company said. The stable supply of sulphuric acid generated by the zinc smelter will effectively leverage the synergies of the "sulphur-phosphorus" industrial chain in the company, an help alleviate cost pressures on the company's phosphorus chemical business segment.