Tag: Fertilizer

Fertilizer coatings play an integral role in minimising the degradation of fertilizers during transport, handling and storage. Increasingly, customers also want to know if the coatings they buy are sustainable too. But what exactly is a sustainable fertilizer coating – and how can its sustainability be properly defined and measured? Lucas Moore , director of coatings technology at Arkema-ArrMaz, weighs up these thorny questions and provides some clear-cut answers.

Nouryon is introducing a new anionic ‘gemini’ collector for phosphate flotation under the product name Phospholan G10. These novel dimeric reagents offer distinct performance advantages over conventional fatty acid collectors.

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, we look ahead at fertilizer industry prospects for the next 12 months, including the key economic and agricultural drivers likely to shape the market during 2021.

The degradation of fertilizer granules during handling and storage can be economically-costly and therefore needs to be avoided. Preventing unwanted caking and dust formation requires tailor-made coatings, as Kim ten Wolde, product manager at Holland Novochem, explains.

During this time of disruption, keeping connected nd informed has never been more important. While the in-person events the industry usually relies on are not possible, CRU’s Phosphates 2021 Virtual Conference, 23-25 March, offers exceptional information sharing and networking opportunities.

Alexander Prygunkov became Uralchem’s new CEO on the 4th December. Mr Prygunkov, who was formerly PIK Group’s chief operating officer, will focus on the digital transformation of the company. He is also expected to strengthen Uralchem’s position in the chemicals and agricultural industries, and introduce a more modern approach to business management.

Clariant, says that Conrad Keijzer become its new chief executive officer as of January 1st, 2021. Interim executive chairman Hariolf Kottmann has thus returned to his position as chairman of the board. Keijzer is a Dutch citizen with a long track record in the chemical industry, including 24 years with leading global paints and coatings manufacturer AkzoNobel, where he was CEO of the Performance Coatings Division and a member of the Executive Committee. Most recently, Conrad Keijzer was CEO of Imerys, a French supplier of mineral-based specialty solutions.

Dr MP Sukumaran Nair, policy analyst and director of the Centre for Green Technology & Management in Cochin, India, discusses the ways that digitisation is improving fertilizer plant operation.

Alzbeta Klein will become the new director general (DG) of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) on 11th January 2021. She succeeds Charlotte Hebebrand who resigned in May to become Nutrien’s chief sustainability officer and executive vice president (EVP) for stakeholder relations. Patrick Heffer is currently acting as IFA’s interim DG.

Kyle Lilly, senior product manager at Compass Minerals Plant Nutrition, outlines how a season-long approach to soybean crop nutrition can be created using a variety of tools. When combined together, these can optimise soybean fertilization and deliver impressive yields – as has been shown in both Brazil and the US.