
Fertilizer Industry News Roundup
The first global review of phosphate rock resources since 2010 has reported that technically recoverable reserves should last for more than 300 years.
The first global review of phosphate rock resources since 2010 has reported that technically recoverable reserves should last for more than 300 years.
As part of the expansion of the Shah gas plant (SGP) in the United Arab Emirates, a new 12-inch pipeline was designed and commissioned in January 2020. Hassa Al Mulla, Ravi Srinivas and Alsail Al Jaberi of ADNOC Sour Gas highlight the best practices implemented in the newly commissioned liquid sulphur pipeline.
Yara International is to supply fossil-free fertilizers to El Parque Papas, Argentina’s largest potato grower, in 2023.
The global potash market has endured a tumultuous 18 months, says Andy Hemphill, senior editor for potash and sulphuric acid at ICIS Fertilizers. Export sanctions, high offer prices and buyer unrest persist as we enter 2023.
Yara International has approved a project to partly convert its Pilbara plant near Karratha in Western Australia to green ammonia production.
In increasingly volatile times for commodity markets, companies up and down the fertilizer supply chain are being left financially exposed to price fluctuations. Alison Coughlin and Tom Crane of CME Group explain how derivatives allow fertilizer market participants to protect themselves from the risk of adverse price movements.
Gidara Energy has agreed with the Port of Rotterdam to develop a new waste to methanol facility in the Netherlands: Advanced Methanol Rotterdam (AMR). Gidara will duplicate its Advanced Methanol Amsterdam project as a template for AMR, using Gidara’s patented high temperature Winkler (HTW® ) technology, which converts nonrecyclable waste to renewable fuels. This technology has been used commercially in four other waste to syngas production facilities. AMR will convert around 180,000 t/a of non-recyclable waste into 90,000 t/a of methanol, while capturing all waste streams for use; CO2 will be captured and led to local greenhouses; bottom product residue will be used for cement production; and other streams like ammonia and salts will be sold and put to use as feed stock for other industries and road salt respectively, creating a fully circular concept. The facility is scheduled to start detail engineering and construction in the first half of 2023, when a permit is received, and start production of renewable methanol in 2025.
India’s new batch of urea plants are coming on-stream or nearing completion, but can the country regain the self-sufficiency in urea production that it enjoyed in the 1990s?
Casale has acquired Hong Kong-based Green Granulation Ltd (GGL), and its proprietary technologies for the design and construction of urea and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) granulation systems. Casale says that the takeover is part of a broader strategy aimed at strengthening its leading position in the nitrogen market by leveraging the widest integrated portfolio of efficient technologies, enabling the company to offer a ‘one stop shop’ for the entire production cycle of nitrogen-based fertilizers, from raw materials to final products. GGL’s addition to the Casale group includes the Cold Recycle Granulation process, an advanced fluidised bed technology designed to accept a lower concentration of urea feed melt (ca 96% urea and biuret), as well as a proprietary design for both granulator and scrubber, a team of experts and qualified technicians, and considerable experience in several industrial references. The CRG design has a horizontal layout, leading to lower structural costs and higher efficiency, as well as lower total investment costs and power consumption, lower power consumption and simplified operation, and higher operational flexibility in urea and CAN granulation.
Belarus sanctions, freight costs and strong demand are pushing MOP pricing to new heights, says Andy Hemphill, senior editor for potash and sulphuric acid at ICIS Fertilizers.