Tag: Urea

New ammonia and urea plants in Nigeria and Ethiopia are part of a wave of new capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa, and may help pull up regional demand from its current low base level.

The impact of coronavirus on both supply and demand continues to provide considerable uncertainty to the market. With much of Hubei province on lockdown, and a corresponding reduction in ammonia demand for DAP production, Chinese imports appear to be down, pushing more ammonia onto the international market and creating generally bearish sentiment.

At the Nitrogen+Syngas Conference 2020, held in The Hague, Netherlands, Haldor Topsoe launched its new TITAN ™ series of steam reforming catalysts. The company says that the new series, which consists of the RC-67 TITAN and RK-500 TITAN catalysts, offers improved performance and longer catalyst lifetime thanks to the hibonite-rich composition. The addition of titanium promoters adds exceptional mechanical strength while a seven-hole cylindrical shape yields both a very low pressure drop and a high surface area. Pressure drop build-ups in syngas plants can cause unscheduled downtime and cost millions of dollars, while thermal instability during operation can lead to operational risk and reduce plant lifetime. Topsoe says that the catalysts can mitigate these risks, ensuring lower operating costs, increased profit margins, and reduced energy usage.

Schoeller-Bleckmann Nitec (SBN), an experienced manufacturer of high pressure equipment for ammonia and urea plants for many years, also helps customers when things go wrong. SBN has come to the aid of operators on numerous occasions, helping them return their plant to operation as soon as possible when a problem occurs. R. Bunzl discusses SBN’s approach to finding solutions to a number of exceptional problems in urea equipment.

This year’s Nitrogen + Syngas conference was held from 17-19 February in The Hague, Netherlands.

Russia’s urea research & design institute, NIIK, introduces the Foam Hydrofilter – a completely new type of wet scrubber for air pollution control at urea plants. The Hydrofilter offers the same operational efficiency as many conventional scrubbing systems while avoiding many of their drawbacks.

We look at safety, health and environmental (SHE) management and hazards at nitrogen fertilizer plants and the importance of the International Fertilizer Association’s ‘Protect & Sustain’ certification scheme.

India consumed just under 57 million tonnes of fertilizers in 2018/19, cementing its position as the world’s second largest fertilizer marketplace. MP Sukumaran Nair provides an update on the country’s fertilizer industry, its continuing import reliance and the strong influence of government policy.

The grave economic and human health consequences of the global spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) deepened in March.

Market Insight courtesy of Argus Media