
Micronutrients make major impacts
The widespread problem of soil micronutrient deficiency has come under the spotlight in recent years. We look at the range of specialist fertilizer products able to tackle micronutrient deficits in crops and soils.
The widespread problem of soil micronutrient deficiency has come under the spotlight in recent years. We look at the range of specialist fertilizer products able to tackle micronutrient deficits in crops and soils.
Demand from horticulture has seen the use of water-soluble phosphates rise globally to almost one million tonnes annually. We assess the market and its growth prospects, identify leading producers and highlight recent product innovations.
We profile a selection of innovative speciality products and agronomic technologies that have recently been brought to market.
Weir Minerals has the global engineering expertise to tackle the world’s harshest and most extreme mine and quarry environments. These range from Canada’s frozen north to tropical Indonesia and the remote deserts of Chile, Mongolia and Australia. This expertise extends to Florida’s phosphate mining district, where a dedicated multi-disciplinary team is delivering an integrated approach to some tough mining challenges.
Sulphur’s annual survey of recent, current and future sulphur recovery unit construction projects maps the developing shape of brimstone production from fuel and gas processing plants worldwide.
BASF has developed a new generation of promoter system compatible with MDEA solutions named OASE® yellow. The new promoter system increases the selectivity and capacity of the amine solvent, resulting in improved performance of tail gas treating units and allowing the processing of more sour crudes. A. Kern and G. Vorberg of BASF discuss two case studies demonstrating the benefits of OASE yellow.
Siroj Loikov has been appointed First Deputy CEO of PhosAgro. Loikov, who was previously Deputy CEO in charge of international projects and personnel policy, will coordinate the work of the company’s headquarters in Moscow, its management company in Cherepovets and the company’s production sites. He will also oversee the implementation of the PhosAgro’s priority development projects and will be responsible for the appointment, development and assessment of the work of the company’s top management.
Imagine an industry that only uses carbon-free fuels and does not have any carbon footprint. Assume this is feasible within a decade. Now wouldn’t that be an ambition worth pursuing? Duiker believes this is achievable. A. Lanser provides Duiker’s view on how its SCO technology can act as an enhancer for reducing industrial carbon footprint.
As existing facilities grow older, service requirements increase. Equipment needs to be low maintenance and back in operation quickly after service and repair. Technology licensors are expanding their technical services with new digital tools, using digitalised expertise with real time insights and data driven analytics to boost chemical production and ensure that equipment operates reliably and efficiently, while maintaining product quality.
Paving the way for commercially attractive, sustainable, decarbonised fertilizer production, J. Dobrée of Stamicarbon BV discusses the latest developments for nitrate fertilizer production based on renewable feedstocks sourced from solar and wind energy. Stamicarbon has upgraded plant designs used in the past to create a new type of small-scale fertilizer plant capable of producing a product mix that can be adjusted to meet specific local requirements with maximised output value, thereby maintaining a competitive position towards imported products and large-scale producers.