Tag: IFA

The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic has abruptly ended lives and livelihoods during its pernicious and inexorable spread across the globe. The fertilizer industry has not been immune to its parlous effects.

Charlotte Hebebrand, Director General of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), will end her term with the organisation on May 1st. IFA’s Senior Director of the Agriculture Service, Patrick Heffer, will serve as interim Director General as of 1 May, until a new permanent Director General can be proposed by IFA’s Board of Directors and approved by the membership at the organisation’s General Meeting, with the aim of having a new person in place by July.

Clariant has announced that Stephan Lynen will be appointed chief financial officer (CFO) of the company as of April 1st, 2020. Lynen is currently head of the Clariant’s Additives business unit, and has served with the company for more than 20 years in various international general management and business roles. He will succeed Patrick Jany who will be leaving to pursue a career opportunity outside of Clariant as CFO of A.P. Moller-Maersk, a global leader in shipping services.

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.

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.

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.

The International Fertilizer Association (IFA) is helping to fully develop the career potential of younger employees through its Young Professionals initiative. This is providing a new generation of industry professionals with access to mentoring and career development advice. It also gives individuals a chance to network with their peers, as well as subsidising attendance and participation at international conferences.

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

Charlotte Hebebrand, director general of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), is to step down at the beginning of May, after more than seven years in the role.

With more than 15 million hectares of land watered by drip irrigation globally, the technology’s agricultural potential remains enormous. Fertigation – the ability to manage and regulate both water and plant nutrients – is a key advantage helping drive worldwide growth.