Refinery sour water strippers are an often overlooked resource of low GWP ammonia. Martin A. Taylor and Charles L. Kimtantas of Bechtel Energy Technologies and Solutions, Inc. (BETS) show the results of a study on reusing an existing SWS as one of the major systems in a SWSPlus unit for the recovery of ammonia for sale. Relative cost factors will compare a complete SWSPlus unit versus reusing an existing SWS.
As more focus extends to a circular economy, there are industry wide discussions on whether future global sulphur demand will be challenged by the energy transition and decarbonisation. Hannes Storch, Collin Bartlett and Marcus Runkel of Metso discuss how the recycling of pyrite tailings could address some of these issues.
One of the biggest areas for new sulphuric acid demand in the past few years has been in nickel processing plants, particularly in Indonesia. A decade ago, incoming president Joko Widodo took a strategic decision that the country needed to try and capture more of the value chain from its mining and mineral industry, which was focused at the time on exports of aluminium, copper and nickel ores and concentrates, mainly to China. Over the past 10 years, the export of raw ores has been progressively restricted and companies instead compelled to build downstream processing plants for the metals. With China the main recipient of Indonesian ores, much of the investment in metals processing in Indonesia has been via Chinese companies.
Muntajat announced its QSP for September at $125/t f.o.b., an increase of $19/t from its August price. This was following its tender earlier this week, which market sources indicated to have achieved at or around $130s/t f.o.b. Over the past two weeks, KPC in Kuwait closed two sales tenders, with both indicated awarded in the high $120s/t f.o.b. Middle East spot f.o.b. prices are at their highest level since March 2023 and have climbed 58% over the past two months.
In this case study, CS Combustion Solutions presents a comprehensive strategy for the capacity enhancement and optimisation of a sulphuric acid plant that was facing several operational challenges.
China’s acid production continues to grow as new smelters come on-stream. But high domestic demand from phosphate production as export restrictions are lifted and a shortage of copper concentrate may limit the potential for acid exports.
Optical gas imaging technology, enhanced by artificial intelligence, offers a groundbreaking approach to monitoring SO2 emissions in real time. Andrés Russu of SENSIA introduces SENSIA’s RedLook solution which offers fully autonomous, 24/7 continuous monitoring of SO2 leaks, providing industries with the tools they need to maintain environmental integrity and operational safety.
Brazilian phosphate producer Galvani says that it has begun work on its major phosphate expansion in Bahia state, including a new production plant at Ceará, in partnership with Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB). The company aims to reduce Brazil’s northern and northeastern regions’ reliance on imported fertilizers. The first phase includes $133 million of investment, including $76 million for new phosphate mining at Irecê, and $38 million for Luís Eduardo Magalhães factory, also in Bahia. This expansion will take capacity from 600,000 t/a to 1.2 million t/a by 2026. The expansion at Luís Eduardo Industrial Complex includes expansion of sulphuric acid capacity from 165,000 t/a to 250,000 t/a.
Sulphur prices are expected to recover from declines in May and June and continue climbing over the coming months, though good availability will limit upside.
Sulphur prices in China are expected to recover with downstream demand anticipated to surge in the second half of the year and good affordability to support raw materials purchasing. Chinese nitrogen, phosphate, and potash prices have surged, driven by heightened demand for the summer corn application season. In particular, average 11-44 MAP prices jumped 16% from $390/t ex-works to $463/t in Hubei province. However, sulphur prices have taken a while to follow the trend on phosphate prices. Port prices have fluctuated in the range of $126-130/t c.fr since late March, and import prices fell from a high of $112/t c.fr to $100/t c.fr, capped by high port inventory and sufficient supply. Port inventories in China remain around 2.8 million tonnes, well above the 2022 average of 1.4 million tonnes and the 2023 average of 2.07 million tonnes. These elevated stock levels limited the upside for prices in China and provided buyers with options. At the start of July, Sinopec’s Puguang, the largest sulphur producer in China, increased its sulphur sales prices at Wanzhou port up $4/t RMB980/t, while its factory price at Dazhou was up RMB20/t at RMB950/t ex-works. These prices are considerably down from RMB1,600/t in December 2022 and RMB 2,945/t from mid-June 2022 and are the lowest since July 2023, but are still up from a low of RMB605-655/t at the end of August 2020.