Grade deflation
Average phosphate rock grades globally have been on the slide since the 1970s. CRU’s Maria Gamboa looks at the most recent trends in rock grade and the cost implications for phosphate fertilizer production.
Average phosphate rock grades globally have been on the slide since the 1970s. CRU’s Maria Gamboa looks at the most recent trends in rock grade and the cost implications for phosphate fertilizer production.
Russia's sulphur supply is under renewed pressure after another Ukrainian strike hit the Astrakhan gas processing plant, a facility vital to the country's fertilizer industry and responsible for over 60% of its sulphur output.
The Indian government is considering a new financial relief package for its domestic fertilizer industry aimed at protecting its agricultural sector from volatile global markets, according to a Department of Fertilizers (DoF) document dated 14 August. The proposal directly addresses the impact of the "West Asia crisis" on key raw material costs.
Germany's chemical industry association VCI has warned that continued low water on the Rhine and other inland waterways could force chemical companies to cut production, as Berlin publicly acknowledged the freight squeeze and put a relaxation of the Sunday lorry driving ban up for review.
EuroChem has reportedly suspended operations at its Lifosa phosphate fertilizer plant in Kėdainiai, Lithuania, on the back of high raw material sulphur costs, CRU reported on 10 August.
Worley says that it has been awarded an engineering services contract by United States Strategic Metals to support the development of a multi-metallic processing hub in Missouri, United States. This will include the development of a cobalt refinery and a black mass recycling process line.
Canada's Capstone Copper has approved a $45 million pyrite recovery project at its Mantoverde copper operation in Chile that will cut the mine's sulphuric acid consumption by around 90,000 t/y, the company said in its second-quarter results on 30 July.
A new treatment process from thyssenkrupp Uhde converts phosphogypsum into a valuable feedstock for clinker production and can generate sulphuric acid.
Ryowa II GPS Pty Ltd, a Queensland-based investment company and wholly owned subsidiary of Mayfair Australia Corporation, has taken over Dyno Nobel’s Phosphate Hill fertilizer complex in North-West Queensland, positioning itself as the new long-term owner of one of Australia’s major DAP/MAP production sites.
Metso has been awarded an order to supply key cellhouse process equipment for a zinc smelter expansion project in South Asia. The value of the order was undisclosed, as was the name of the customer, which is one of the leading zinc producers globally.