Rising hydrogen sulphide levels from souring reservoirs and high-sulphur crude oils are turning sulphur recovery units into major throughput bottlenecks in both gas plants and refineries. Bryan Research & Engineering presents oxygen enrichment as a practical debottlenecking strategy, with water electrolysis – especially alkaline water electrolysis and, to a lesser extent, solid oxide electrolysis – offering promising oxygen supply options.
CRU and UniverSUL Consulting are expanding the reach of the Middle East Sulphur Conference (MEScon) with the launch of MEScon Connect: Central Asia 2026, taking place from 9–11 June, at the InterContinental Almaty hotel, Kazakhstan.
In sulphur handling facilities, deviations in product consistency are often an indication of issues impacting not only the quality of end product, but also the production process itself. In this article, IPCO explains why shape and quality really do matter.
Sulphur production continues to expand in the Middle East and East and South Asia both from new refineries and major sour gas projects.
A review of papers presented at this year’s Sulphur World Symposium, held by The Sulphur Institute (TSI) in Vancouver, Canada this year from April 28 to 30.
Policy decisions and geopolitical shocks are now the dominant drivers of sulphur and phosphate fertilizer markets, overriding more traditional seasonal fundamentals. The conflict in the Middle East, including the escalation around Iran, has tightened sulphur availability and lifted costs sharply, while China’s export restrictions continue to restrict global phosphate supply.
Sour gas production is costly because hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide require extensive sweetening, sulphur recovery, safety, and compliance infrastructure, with sulphur sales helping offset but rarely eliminating those added costs.
• Prices are expected to hold at historically high levels as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. If the situation persists, further price increases are likely, which will only intensify the affordability crisis for global consumers.
Sulphur continued to break historic records in most key international markets at the start of May as the scarcity of spot supply propelled prices higher, which triggered production cuts at some downstream markets, and increased costs in other industrial sectors. The effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which halted the flow of Middle East supply, has forced desperate buyers to compete for the limited available spot cargoes, primarily from North America. Although fresh transactions were limited, export and delivered prices climbed higher, and market sentiment remained jittery. QatarEnergy hiked its sulphur price to $740/t f.o.b., a new record high for this contract since its inception in August 2013.
While Brazil is the largest consumer, trade in acid in South America has been dominated