Significant capacity additions in the Middle East are still awaited. The more positive outlook for fuel demand is providing support to seeing these projects ramp up in the coming months. New supply is expected from Saudi Arabia following the commissioning of a gas project in 2020, sulphur availability is likely to improve from the country through the second half of 2021 and into 2022 as a result.
Magnesium, a key constituent of chlorophyll, plays a vital role in plant photosynthesis and carbohydrate production. Commercial sources of this essential crop nutrient include Epsom salt, kieserite, langbeinite, magnesium chloride and magnesium nitrate.
Market Insight courtesy of Argus Media
Maya Rehill of Anglo American Crop Nutrients discusses the latest crop trial findings for the polyhalite product POLY4 with the company’s regional agronomists. These highly positive trial results add to an already extensive evidence base on POLY4’s crop benefits.
By using a Rectisol™ demonstration unit at one of Air Liquide’s industrial production sites, Air Liquide Engineering & Construction has gained unique know-how in Rectisol™ column design with structured packings. S. Schmidt, R. Szabo, M. Linicus and S. Corbet report on how the application of commercially available structured packings in the absorber columns of a Rectisol™ unit results in significant capex and opex savings.
Meena Chauhan, Head of Sulphur and Sulphuric Acid Research, Argus Media, assesses price trends and the market outlook for sulphur.
While the covid pandemic has kept refinery run rates down in 2020, new refinery sulphur capacity will nevertheless form the bulk of new additions to sulphur production over the next few years. But delays to projects on both the supply and demand sides could tip a fairly balanced market in either direction.
Sulphur’s annual survey of recent, current and future sulphur recovery unit construction projects maps the developing shape of brimstone production from fuel and gas processing plants worldwide.
Major projects to consider in the short term outlook are Barzan in Qatar and the Clean Fuels Project in Kuwait. Combined these would add over 3 million t/a of sulphur capacity.
Tecnimont has been awarded a $1.5 billion contract by Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council to carry out rehabilitation works at the Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State, run by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). The contract covers engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) activities for a full rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery complex, aimed at restoring the complex to a minimum of 90% of its 210,000 bbl/d nameplate capacity. Tecnimont says that the project will be delivered in phases from 24 and 32 months and the final stage will be completed in 44 months from the award date.