Tag: Demand

The switch towards battery technologies like lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is leading to major growth in demand for sulphur and sulphuric acid.

PT QMB New Energy Materials, a major Chinese-owned nickel smelter in Indonesia, is temporarily cutting production due to mounting waste management challenges, according to a 24 November report from local news source Sina, a move expected to temporarily impact regional sulphur demand. The facility, located in the Morowali Industrial Park, will reduce output for at least two weeks as its tailings ponds are nearing capacity while it awaits approval for a new facility. The shutdown may have implications for the sulphur market, as QMB is a major consumer.

Gas consumption is rebounding in Europe as prices stabilise at lower levels, while the LNG market continues to see large capacity additions.

We look ahead at fertilizer industry prospects for the next 12 months, and the key economic and agricultural drivers likely to shape the market.

Could demand mandates help the build the market for green fertilizers – by placing mandatory purchasing requirements on large-scale end users?

South America has become the largest importing region for nitrogen fertilizers, with Brazil overtaking India as the world’s largest urea importer. While there have been attempts to use local gas to develop a domestic nitrogen industry, these have faced challenges on a number of fronts.

Nitric acid demand continues to be dominated by fertilizer uses via various nitrate and NPK fertilizers, but industrial chemical production, metallurgical uses and explosives production are continuing to contribute to growth, especially in Asia.

In this CRU Insight, Peter Harrisson reports on how battery materials have become a powerful driver of sulphur consumption growth.

New sulphur production from Chinese and Indian refineries and Middle Eastern sour gas and the ramp up of nickel leaching projects in Indonesia continue to change the direction of sulphur trade.

Titanium dioxide is one of the major chemical uses for sulphuric acid outside of phosphate and metals processing, and sulphate route plants remain concentrated in China.