Wet process phosphoric acid plants require reliable cooling water facilities. Jan Tytgat, engineering manager, De Smet Agro, shares his insights on the design and operation of cooling water networks, pumps and towers.
Reclaiming phosphorus from sewage sludge ash holds great potential for the fertilizer industry – by helping to reduce dependency on global supply chains, ensuring resilience and even raising quality. But successful phosphorus recovery largely depends on the process used, as EasyMining’s Anna Lundbom, Sara Stiernström and Christian Kabbe explain.
Chinese refinery output has been steadily falling this year as covid-related lockdowns impact upon the economy. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that refinery output fell to 13.8 million bbl/d in April – down 2% year on year – then took a sharp fall in May to 12.6 million bbl/d, more than 10% down on the same time in 2021, when output stood at 14.1 million bbl/d. May’s figure was 12.7 million bbl/d, a modest increase on April, but still 1.6 million bbl/d down compared to May 2021. Refining margins have also been hurt by high oil prices due to the Ukraine conflict, dropping close to zero or even negative according to industry estimates.
At the end of June a three day strike among workers at Chilean state mining company Codelco paralysed copper output at the world’s largest copper producer. The strike was in protest at the threatened closure of the Ventanas smelter, which was the site of an alleged leak of sulphur dioxide on June 6th. Chile’s environmental regulator subsequently provisional measures for both Codelco and power company AES Chile after numerous people in the nearby towns of Quintero and Puchuncavi in central Chile, including hundreds of high school students and staff, showed signs of sulphur dioxide poisoning. The measures include the installation of a new temperature sensor to measure potential thermal inversions. Both companies have denied responsibility for the leak; Codelco says that its air quality stations recorded normal levels of SO2 during the time of the incident.
Meena Chauhan , Head of Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid Research, Argus Media, assesses price trends and the market outlook for sulphur.
The Sulphur Institute’s (TSI’s) annual Sulphur World Symposium was held in Tampa, Florida this year, from May 9th-11th.
M. Rameshni and S. Santo of Rameshni & Associated Technology & Engineering (RATE USA) report on advanced catalysts for increasing the sulphur recovery efficiency of new and existing sulphur recovery units to meet stricter environmental regulations.
Acid output is expected to increase as copper mining and smelting increases; the copper market is moving moves from deficit to surplus, with copper output expected to rise 5% in 2022 as demand increases for electric vehicles.
Condensate formation in sulphuric acid plants can cause severe corrosion problems leading to high maintenance and plant downtime. Santhosh S . of Metso Outotec discusses the importance of carrying out regular monitoring and maintaining accurate and detailed data about condensate to increase equipment life and avoid downtime. Different sources of condensate formation in the plant are discussed as well as the typical locations in the plant where the condensates end up.
Sulphur is becoming an increasingly vital crop nutrient, due to a combination of lower sulphur deposition from the atmosphere, the increasing prevalence of high-analysis fertilizers and higher cropping intensity.