Tag: Mosaic

Ammonia and sulphur, as essential raw materials, underpin and drive fertilizer production costs. A steep and sustained rally has seen prices for both commodities reach new heights in recent months.

What lessons can be learnt from the successful commissioning and start-up of major fertilizer industry construction projects? Recent case studies from the nitrogen, phosphate and potash industries provide some interesting answers.

Magnesium, a key constituent of chlorophyll, plays a vital role in plant photosynthesis and carbohydrate production. Commercial sources of this essential crop nutrient include Epsom salt, kieserite, langbeinite, magnesium chloride and magnesium nitrate.

We compare and contrast the 2020 financial performance of selected major fertilizer producers, following the publication of fourth-quarter results.

CF Industries has signed an agreement with thyssenkrupp to develop a commercial-scale green ammonia project at its Donaldsonville production complex in Louisiana.

Ineos subsidiary Inovyn has announced the permanent closure of its ‘sulphur chemicals’ (mainly sulphuric acid) plant at its Runcorn site, and its withdrawal from the UK sulphur chemicals market. The company said in a statement that the decision follows a management review of the business in the light of recent events. Specifically, in October 2020, an unexpected interruption to the third-party power supply to the Runcorn site resulted in the plant being taken offline, and during restart, it was identified that a number of critical plant components had suffered significant damage. As a result, to ensure the safety and integrity of the plant it was taken back offline. Since then, in spite of significant effort and investment to rectify these issues, Inovyn says that it has become clear that it will not be possible to safely restart the plant for at least a further 18-24 months, and the company has decided to close the plant permanently.

The Belarusian Potash Company (BPC) has agreed new annual potash supply contracts with India and China.

The Mosaic Company received the 2020 Robert W Campbell Award from the US National Safety Council in February. This prestigious award celebrates the company’s excellence in environment, health and safety (EHS) and its achievements over a decade of continuous improvement. During this period Mosaic’s commitment to EHS has delivered an 80 percent improvement in its recordable injury rate and led to the creation of its Risk Reduction Program.

ICIS, the independent commodity intelligence company, provides an overview of the nitrogen market. The world supply of urea looks set to outpace market demand in 2021, as several new projects come on-stream. Global ammonia demand, in contrast, is expected to rebound strongly this year after a difficult 2020. The flurry of recent green ammonia projects announcements is another significant market development.

Meena Chauhan, Head of Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid Research, Argus Media, assesses price trends and the market outlook for sulphur.