Tag: RATE

The nickel market has been through a period of unprecedented change over the past few years due to demand for batteries for electric vehicles, with Indonesia becoming a centre for production via high pressure acid leaching.

MECS, Inc. (MECS) has developed a new impaction-based mist eliminator called Brink® Prime Impact™ , which offers equivalent or improved efficiency at higher throughput and the same pressure drop as traditional impaction beds, resulting in the ability to debottleneck existing inter-pass absorption towers and final absorption towers in sulphuric acid plants or design new or replacement towers with smaller diameters, thus reducing investment cost.

Toyo Engineering Corporation (TOYO), a global leading engineering contractor, has developed g-Methanol® technology. Methanol, traditionally produced from fossil resources, is now gaining attention for synthesis using carbon dioxide and hydrogen from renewable sources. This article explores methanol synthesis technology and the challenges in utilising renewable energy sources.

As the production of renewable methanol continues to scale up, it will provide a long term, carbon-neutral energy solution to different transport sectors. However, the optimum design parameters for green methanol plants are substantially different to natural gas-based methanol plants and pose new challenges to the methanol loop designer. Connor Longland of Johnson Matthey (JM) discusses the challenges and presents the benefits of the tube cooled converter for e-methanol production.

Lisa Krumpholz, Managing Director of Navigance, delves into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and discusses its potential to enhance process optimisation in syngas plants.

KBR offers an end-to-end digitalisation solution specifically designed for green ammonia plants to balance the available renewable resources and consistently deliver the lowest levelised cost of green ammonia (LCOA). This article outlines some of the key modules of the KBR end-toend digitalisation solution developed to overcome the challenges in green ammonia operation and achieve best in class, safe and reliable plant operation.

OCI Global says that it has reached an agreement for the sale of 100% of its interest in its large-scale nitrogen fertilizer subsidiary the Iowa Fertilizer Company LLC, located in Wever, Iowa, to Koch Ag & Energy Solutions for $3.6 billion. Completion of the transaction remains subject to US anti-trust approval and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in 2024. Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc is serving as financial advisor to OCI on the transaction. IFCO produced 1.2 million t/a of urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) in 2021 and 700,000 t/a of anhydrous ammonia, as well as 700,000 t/a of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

We look ahead at fertilizer industry prospects for the next 12 months, including the key economic and agricultural drivers likely to shape the market during 2024.

With phosphate supply concerns persisting as 2023 draws to a close, CRU’s Senior Analyst Logan Collins looks back at what’s been a dynamic year for the global phosphate market.

New regulatory developments in Europe are focusing attention on eliminating microplastic residues in soils by adopting biodegradable fertilizer coatings. Major technology licensors and engineering companies are also developing new coating technologies for controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs).