Tag: Sulphuric Acid

Freeport Indonesia may be forced to suspend operations at its Manyar smelter at the end of October due to a lack of copper concentrate, according to local press reports. The news follows the mudslide at the Grasberg mine in September, which killed seven workers. Grasberg, which represents almost 3% of global copper mine production, has halted production and Freeport says that it may not return to pre-accident operating rates until 2027. Stocks of copper concentrate at Grasberg were estimated to be only sufficient to operate the Manyar smelter until the end of October. The $3.7 billion Manyar smelter only resumed operations in May after a fire broke out in October last year, damaging the plant.

Aurubis says that it is in discussions with the US government about possible financial support for the construction of a new copper smelter. Reuters reports comments from Aurubis CEO Toralf Haag during LME Week that there had been a positive response from the Trump administration. The US is currently only able to supply about half of its refined copper demand of 1.7 million t/a from domestic production, and the gap may widen as demand increases.

The Indonesian government has moved to limit new licenses for nickel projects in an attempt to correct overdevelopment of the industry and the subsequent crash in global nickel prices. The permit restriction applies to new nickel processing companies that produce intermediate products, both with pyrometallurgical (RKEF) and hydrometallurgical (HPAL) technologies. Currently, Indonesia already has 54 nickel processing plants operating, 38 in the construction stage, and 45 are still under planning.

While sulphuric acid production is dominated by sulphur burning or metallurgical acid routes, pyrite roasting remains a niche sector, particularly in China.

Arianne Phosphates has signed a memorandum of understanding with Travertine Technologies Inc.for the production of purified phosphoric acid using Travertine’s proprietary process on high-purity phosphate concentrate from Arianne’s planned Lac à Paul project in Quebec Province.

Smelter outages and tight concentrate markets ease an oversupplied market.

Prices in sulphur markets have been climbing rapidly for several weeks now due to short supply, reaching their highest levels for early two and a half years, since July 2022. A major cause has been widening Ukrainian drone and missile strikes against Russian oil and gas facilities. In particular, drone strikes in September on the Astrakhan and Orenburg natural gas plants led to Russian sulphur exports being cut drastically, first from around 400,000 tonnes per month to only 100,000 tonnes in October, and then to zero from the 1st of November, as Russia implemented a ban on exports of sulphur used in fertilizer production which was projected to last at least until December 31st. “This decision will stabilise shipments of raw materials to the domestic market to maintain current mineral fertilizer production volumes and ensure the country’s food security,” the government’s press service reported. The restriction applies to the export of liquid, granulated, and lump sulphur. It remains to be seen whether exports of Kazakh material from Ust Luga will be affected, but some Kazakh sulphur is now being sold via Iran.

While north Africa’s sulphur demand is dominated by its phosphate industry, south of the Sahara it is copper, cobalt and uranium mining, leaching and smelting that hold sway over acid production and demand.

Sulphur prices advanced further in October, more than expected, supported by the supply towards the end of summer becoming restricted, with a number of non-mainstream sources facing logistical constraints.

Singapore-based Indorama Group, through its Senegalese subsidiary Industries Chimiques du Sénégal (ICS), has signed a memorandum of understanding with Senegal’s Investment and Major Projects Promotion Agency (APIX) to launch a major $210 million investment, aiming to boost Senegal’s phosphate and fertilizer production capacity, reinforcing the country’s strategic role in the regional agricultural input market.