Digitalisation is making a strong impact in the process industry and is providing an opportunity to have a positive impact on the production KPIs. Metso’s Metals & Chemical Processing Business reviews the impact of digitalisation in the sulphuric acid industry today and discusses the concept of a future pit-to-port system within a digital eco-structure.
Sulphur plays an important role in crop nutrition. Indeed, sulphur is increasingly being recognised as the fourth major crop nutrient alongside N, P and K. However, a combination of intensive agricultural practices, increasing application of high-analysis fertilizers and tighter air quality regulations has led to increasing sulphur deficiency in soils. In this insight article, CRU’s Peter Harrisson looks at what’s driving sulphur deficiency and whether there’s a gap in the market for sulphur fertilizers.
Sulphur Experts outline the steps required to determine optimised SRU incinerator operating conditions. Although a proper determination of the ideal SRU incinerator operating conditions for any given facility is complicated by a combination of inconsistent permitting standards and poor understanding of the role of the SRU incinerator, the payoff for incinerator optimisation is a significant decrease in natural gas usage with corresponding savings in operating costs, a decrease in CO2 emissions, and a simultaneous reduction in NOx and SO3 emissions.
Large-scale ammonia cracking technology and catalysts will enable the full potential of ammonia to be realised as industries transition towards low carbon energy. In this feature we report on the current status of ammonia cracking processes and catalysts.
BASF, SABIC, and Linde have jointly inaugurated the world’s first demonstration plant for large-scale electrically heated steam cracking furnaces at BASF’s Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, following three years of development, engineering, and construction work. The three companies signed a joint agreement to develop and electrically heated steam cracking furnaces in March 2021.
Biuret is a chemical compound with the chemical formula HN(CONH 2 ) 2 , also known as carbamylurea. It is a commonly occurring undesirable impurity in urea-based fertilisers, as biuret is toxic to plants. Biuret is formed from urea, according to the following overall reaction:
The ammonia market reverted to recent norms at the end of April, with prices more or less unchanged in the east, and several benchmarks west of Suez moving downward in line with May’s Tampa settlement. Following a trio of high-priced c.fr spot deals many wondered whether such business would be replicated in Asia, but the hype did not live up to the expectation, with the majority of tonnes continuing to move on a contract basis into the likes of South Korea and Taiwan, China. The $430/t c.fr concluded into China has been attributed to both supply uncertainty and an uptick in domestic demand, though several inland prices declined this week, rendering price direction difficult.
Although it has been a major exporter of urea, increasing Chinese government restrictions have restricted the seasonal window for exports.
Topsoe has signed a contract with CF Industries, the world’s largest producer of ammonia, for the licensing and engineering supporting a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study of a new low-carbon ammonia plant in Louisiana. CF Industries is evaluating the project in collaboration with leading ammonia marketer Mitsui & Co., Ltd. The project would produce low-carbon ammonia for use as a decarbonised energy source.
Anton Kariagin and Stefan Gebert of Clariant discuss the benefits and commercial performance of the new low temperature shift (LTS) catalyst – ShiftMax 217 Plus. A case study demonstrates the benefits of this catalyst, providing ultra-low methanol formation resulting in increased ammonia production and/or energy savings.