Tag: Sulphuric Acid

Indonesian nickel miner Merdeka Battery Materials (MBMA) and partners have signed definitive agreements to construct a high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) plant on the Morowali industrial park, Sulawesi. The unit will have a nameplate capacity of 90,000 t/a of contained nickel in mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP). PT Sulawesi Nickel Cobalt (SLNC) will construct and operate the plant adjacent to the existing HPAL plant operated by PT Huayue Nickel Cobalt (HNC). SLNC will source and process laterite nickel ore through a 20 year commercial agreement with MBMA's SCM mine, starting from the commissioning date. An ore preparation plant will be built at the SCM mine to enable ore transportation via pipeline to the SLNC processing plant at IMIP. The total combined investment for constructing SLNC (including interest incurred during construction) is expected to be approximately $1.8 billion according to Merdeka. Construction of the project commenced in January 2025 and is expected to reach commissioning stage within 18 months.

Anglo American and Codelco have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the aim of jointly developing their neigh-bouring Los Bronces and Andina copper mines in central Chile.

• Sulphur prices have been revised higher in the latest forecast after supply from the Middle East was lower than expected in February, and buyers with uncovered demand were forced to chase prices upwards. UAE sulphur exports normally fall at the start of the year due to scheduled maintenance, but sales in February this year were 200,000 tonnes short of what is typical. Prices may climb more than expected as buyers scramble to cover their shorts. If supply is slower to return than currently anticipated, momentum may push prices even higher in the short term.

Jordan’s Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan laid the foundation stone for the second phase of Jordan Phosphate Mines (JPMC) new sulphuric and phosphoric acid plants at Al-Shidiya in a ceremony in mid-February. The Phase II expansion aims to increase the sulphuric acid plant's production capacity from 2,200 t/d to 4,450 t/d (1.5 million t/a). The phase will generate an additional 20 MW of energy per hour, with the potential to export 9 MW. The project will also boost the production capacity of the phosphoric acid plant from 900 t/d to 1,600 t/d (equivalent to 550,000 t/a P2 O5 ). Construction is expected to be completed, and operations begun by September of this year. With the expansion of the industrial complex in Aqaba and future projects involving potash and partnerships in the phosphoric acid industry, JPMC plans to increase its local consumption to 70%, while reducing external exports by 30%.

Sulphur’s key role as a plant nutrient means that its use as a fertilizer continues to be a major area of demand.

BHP has awarded a significant engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) contract to a joint venture between Fluor Australia Pty Ltd and Hatch Pty Ltd. The A$40 million contract is for the first phase of the proposed expansion of BHP's copper smelter and refinery facilities in South Australia, as the company moves towards a final investment decision on the smelter and refinery expansion, currently anticipated in the first half of FY27. The initial stage focuses on strategic planning and development during the project's study phases. Subsequent stages will cover detailed engineering, procurement, and construction management as the project advances.

LKAB has begun construction of its new demonstration plant for processing phosphorus and rare earth elements at Luleå. The facility is the first in a planned industrial park and, says LKAB, marks an important step in the company's ambition to diversify its business with new minerals. The supply of phosphorus for mineral fertilizers is essential for food security in Sweden and the EU, while rare earth elements are critical for the electrification and digitalisation of society, such as the production of permanent magnets for electric vehicles and wind turbines. The $75 million demonstrator plant is planned to become operational in 2026. The aim is to further develop and verify the process for utilizing material flows from iron ore production in Gällivare, where apatite concentrate is produced for further refinement and production of critical minerals in Luleå. Through a stepwise expansion, the operations can then be scaled up with additional processing facilities over time, aiming for full operation during the 2030s. Once fully operational, the industrial park’s production will be approximately seven times Sweden’s needs and 6% of the EU’s demand for phosphorus in agriculture. Currently, there is no mining of rare earth elements in Europe.

Aurubis AG has reported operating earnings before taxes of euro130 million ($134.8 million) for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2024/25, up around 17% on the figure for the equivalent period of last year (€111 million or $115.1 million). The company’s Custom Smelting & Products (CSP) segment posted €125 million ($129.7 million) in EBT compared with €107 million ($111 million) in the previous year. CSP comprises production facilities for processing copper concentrates as well as for manufacturing and marketing standard and specialty products, such as cathodes, wire rod, continuous cast shapes, strip products, sulphuric acid and iron silicate, via smelters in Hamburg and Pirdop, Bulgaria. The company attributes the higher EBT to higher metal prices, considerably increased sulphuric acid revenues, and robust earnings from copper product sales and lower costs, which more than compensated for a year-over-year decline in treatment and refining charges with lower concentrate throughput.

Glencore says it is working with the Queensland government to secure the future of the Mount Isa copper smelter. The company had previously indicated that it would close the smelter in 2030, but recent media reports suggest that the government is looking at assistance to keep the smelter operational, which currently treats more than 1 million t/a of copper concentrate and supplies sulphuric acid to other industries locally, including phosphate production.

Chemical Industries of Senegal (ICS) has launched two projects to increase phosphate fertilizer production in the country. At a company event, new managing director Mama Sougoufara said that between 2014 and 2023, ICS has expanded production to 2 million t/a of phosphate rock, 600,000 t/a of phosphoric acid, and 250,000 t/a of phosphate fertilizer. The new expansions, with a price tag put at $475 million, include a plant at Mbao to increase fertilizer output from 250,000 t/a to 600,000 t/a, as well as a new phosphate rock processing plant, increasing output by 300,000 t/a. The company has seen its financial situation improve in recent years thanks to its takeover by the Indorama Group, though the Senegalese government retains a 15% stake.