Tag: Production

One of the key challenges of producing RFNBO (renewable fuels of non-biological origin) compliant ammonia is managing the intermittency associated with renewable energy sources for hydrogen production. Furthermore, the additional costs associated with managing this intermittency can be significant. In this article, Dr Solomos Georgiou of AFRY Management Consulting explores those additional costs as well as potential ways to achieve cost savings and make RFNBO-compliant ammonia production competitive against conventional ‘grey’ ammonia.

Revamping aging urea plants with the latest urea technology brings many benefits. Not only can greenhouse gas emissions be reduced, but the overall performance and sustainability of these facilities can also be optimised. Hiroo Kunii of Toyo Engineering Corporation discusses TOYO’s approach to urea plant revamping.

We look at the future of polyhalite mining and its use as a fertilizer following Anglo American’s announcement that investment in its UK-Based Woodsmith mine will fall to zero in 2026 under current plans.

The ‘golden batch’ refers to stable periods at production plants that consistently generate high quality NPK products at high output. Yara’s Golden Batch digital tool digitises and stores past data from optimal production runs, making these easy to retrieve and implement again in future. Yara’s Marianne Ytterbø provides an overview of this novel digital tool, explains how it was developed, and highlights key benefits.

Significant changes to the level and location of sulphur inventory over the last two years have caused swings in short-term supply availability. Inventory plays a necessary role in balancing the sulphur market but exactly when, where, how, and why inventory enters the market can trigger a diverse range of price responses. In this insight article, CRU’s Peter Harrisson looks at how inventory change influences sulphur availability and pricing.

The dry bulk market is forecast to cool, after a year of high freight rates driven by demand shocks. Should ships return to the Red Sea during 2025, then the market will weaken even more. This development, explains BIMCO shipping analyst Filipe Gouveia, would particularly affect the supramax and handysize vessels typically used in fertilizer shipping.

Dr Burkhard Lohr , the chair of the executive board of K+S Aktiengesellschaft, will retire at the end of May next year, after more than 12 years in the role, having decided not to extend his current mandate.

Fertilizer International presents a global round-up of current potash projects.

QatarEnergy has announced the construction of a new world-scale ammonia-urea production complex at Mesaieed Industrial City in Qatar.

The prospect of a drastic expansion in potassium sulphate production has been linked to a plethora of projects in Australia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. These have sought to take advantage of market tightness and high price premiums. Yet investor interest in supposedly promising projects has waned over the last few years. In this insight article, CRU’s Alexander Chreky explains the reasons behind the high project failure rate, as well as highlighting some limited successes.