Egypt’s Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority (MRMIA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s Asia-Potash International Investment (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. The MoU is designed to strengthen joint cooperation in exploring and assessing phosphate ore reserves. The objective is to maximise the added value of this crucial resource.
The El Teniente mine, located in the O'Higgins region, suffered a collapse on 31 July. The collapse in the Andesita sector of the mine is understood to have been as a result of seismic activity that registered 4.2 on the Richter scale. It remains unknown whether the seismic activity was caused by the mining operations or natural activity, according to industry sources. Underground operations are to be halted for an unknown period of time while the open air sector, which represents around 10% of the total production, will remain open, according to industry participants.
Upcycle Minerals Inc. has launched a brine to potassium sulphate fertilizer with carbon capture project in south-central Saskatchewan. The company says that it plans to use its mineral assets, including the Tuxford potash mineral permit and the Whiteshore and Lydden Lake Alkali Leases as feedstock for its patented process. Along with the production of potassium sulphate (SoP), the process also generates two co-products with established markets; ammonium sulphate fertilizer and precipitated calcium carbonate. Upcycle says that it intends to become an ecologically conscious, low-cost producer of SoP with low net CO2 emissions.
In addition to the above deal with Morocco, the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), part of the Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture, has signed a contract to import both triple superphosphate (TSP) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilisers from Malaysia. The agreement was signed on 17 July 2025 in Kuala Lumpur by Mohammed Ruhul Amin Khan, chairman of BADC, and representatives of Selcra Niaga. Under the contract, BADC will import 280,000 tonnes of TSP and 280,000 tonnes of DAP from Malaysia. According to BADC officials, this landmark deal is expected to play a crucial role in ensuring the timely delivery of non-urea fertilisers to farmers. The move aims to strengthen Bangladesh's efforts toward building an efficient and sustainable agricultural system.
Gunnison has started producing pure copper cathodes at its Johnson Camp Mine (JCM) in southeast Arizona, United States, from a solvent extraction-electrowinning (SX-EW) circuit and using leaching technology from Rio Tinto-owned Nuton. As well as giving Gunnison exclusive rights to deploy the proprietary process on run-of-mine ore, Nuton is a financial partner of the Phoenix-headquartered mine developer which has restarted copper production at past-producing JCM. The company’s next goal is to ramp-up to nameplate plant capacity of 25 million lbs/year (11,300 t/a) of finished copper.
Transition Industries LLC has signed a heads of agreement with Italian contractor Bonatti SpA to deliver key infrastructure for the Pacifico Mexinol green methanol project in Sinaloa. Under the agreement, which includes a fixed lump-sum price, Bonatti will handle detailed engineering, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning and startup for upgrades to the Terminal Transoceánica de Topolobampo port facilities. The work will cover methanol loading operations for export, underground transfer pipelines, vapor recovery systems, and dual fiber optic cables linking the main plant to the port. Bonatti may also build a closed-loop water pipeline to recycle municipal wastewater for plant operations, avoiding freshwater use and reducing environmental impact.
BASF and Yara International ASA say that they have jointly decided to discontinue their project to develop a 1.4 million t/a low-carbon ammonia production facility with carbon capture and storage in the US Gulf Coast region. The companies say that this decision reflects their “commitment to focus on initiatives with the highest potential to achieve their respective value creation goals.” Yara will continue its ammonia strategy as previously communicated, evaluating and maturing equity investment opportunities in US ammonia to determine the optimal project portfolio.
ATOME says that the European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending arm of the European Union, has approved financing in-principle of up to $135 million for the company’s flagship Villeta Project. EIB is one of ATOME’s senior debt providers for Villeta and the announcement follows the Green Climate Fund approval earlier this month. Details of the financing will be finalised in early course, following closing of the debt package with the consortium of leading international development finance institutions. Based on the progress with financing, ATOME is projecting a final investment decision by the end of September 2025.
thyssenkrupp nucera says that it has successfully completed the acquisition of key technology assets from Danish company Green Hydrogen Systems (GHS), as announced in June. The transaction was finalised following receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals and the consent of the court-appointed insolvency administrator. The asset deal includes intellectual property as well as a test facility with a full-size prototype in Skive, Denmark.
Johnson Matthey (JM) says that the three methanol production trains of Inner Mongolia Baofeng Coal-based New Materials Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group, were successfully commissioned in November 2024, February 2025, and March 2025, respectively. Located in the Wushenqi Sulige Economic Development Zone of Ordos City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, this plant employs Johnson Matthey’s advanced methanol synthesis technology and catalysts, making it the largest single methanol plant in the world. Inner Mongolia Baofeng also stands as one of the largest chemical enterprises globally that produces polyethylene and polypropylene by using coal as a substitute for oil.