After two years of virtual events, the CRU Sulphur + Sulphuric Acid 2022 Conference & Exhibition will return to an in-person event at the World Forum, The Hague, 24-26 October 2022. CRU will be welcoming the global sulphur and sulphuric acid community to this premier annual event for networking and essential updates on the markets and technical developments that are influencing the industry.
It is generally necessary to solidify sulphur into a robust form suitable for handling and long-distance transport. Granulation, pastillation and prilling are some of the technologies used to produce solid sulphur from molten material. Similar technologies are also used to manufacture sulphur fertilizers.
Market Insight courtesy of Argus Media
A selection of innovative products and technologies that have recently been brought to market.
Wet process phosphoric acid plants require reliable cooling water facilities. Jan Tytgat, engineering manager, De Smet Agro, shares his insights on the design and operation of cooling water networks, pumps and towers.
The phosphate fertilizer industry is turning to production methods that are able to consume low-grade phosphate rock and/ or generate pure gypsum as a by-product. Gypsum-free processes, and technologies that capture phosphorus from waste streams, are also on the rise.
Chinese refinery output has been steadily falling this year as covid-related lockdowns impact upon the economy. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that refinery output fell to 13.8 million bbl/d in April – down 2% year on year – then took a sharp fall in May to 12.6 million bbl/d, more than 10% down on the same time in 2021, when output stood at 14.1 million bbl/d. May’s figure was 12.7 million bbl/d, a modest increase on April, but still 1.6 million bbl/d down compared to May 2021. Refining margins have also been hurt by high oil prices due to the Ukraine conflict, dropping close to zero or even negative according to industry estimates.
The past couple of years have been quite the wild ride, with major global events dominating markets outside of the usual concerns of broad market supply and demand. It seems like a long time ago now, but this time last year, the price of a barrel of Brent crude was about $75. Go back two years, in the wake of the onset of covid restrictions, and that barrel would have cost you $40 (and just $25 a couple of months before that). In the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, you could easily have paid $130, and it has been hovering around $110/bbl for the past few months. The last time oil spent any time at that level was in 2014, just before the Chinese economy ran out of steam and prices slumped by 70%.
Meena Chauhan , Head of Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid Research, Argus Media, assesses price trends and the market outlook for sulphur.
The ongoing recovery from Covid-19 has led to an uptick of sulphur from refineries in regions including the US compared with a year ago. As travel around the global improves, increasing fuel demand points to higher operating rates and improved sulphur recovery.