Sulphuric Acid -
NEWS
Updated January 5, 2024
2016
SNC-Lavalin awarded EPC contract from
Codelco for sulphuric acid plant construction
Weir Minerals Lewis Pumps celebrates
125 years of specialist design and manufacturing
India Sulphuric Acid Market to Grow at CAGR
3.35% till 2025: TechSci Forecast
SNC-Lavalin Awarded Contract by Norilsk
Nickel for Sulphur Dioxide Mitigation Project in Russia
SAR takes delivery of specialised freight
wagons
Chinese miners evaluating pending bid for
Peru’s La Oroya smelter
Jacobs Acquires BAYQIK® Sulfuric
Acid Converter Technology from Bayer AG
Saudi Aramco sets September sulphur price at $74/tonne FOB
Sulfuric acid leak "under control" in
Geismar, authorities say
Itronics Now Producing Elemental Sulfur
SK Capital Returns Five Times Its Money on Calabrian Sale
Sherritt Announces Successful Start-Up of New
Moa Joint Venture Acid Plant
Outotec to revamp
a copper smelter and sulfuric acid plant in South America
Veolia Takes over
Chemours' Sulfur Product Assets, Strengthening Its Services to the Oil &
Gas Industry for the Treatment and Recycling of Industrial Waste in the
United States
Outotec awarded a
sulfuric acid technology contract from Intecsa Industrial, Spain
Making amends for
sulphuric acid controversy, company gives $100,000 to Mobile Fire-Rescue
Department
GCT, DuPont MECS sign
agreement on air pollution mitigation in Gabes
Valmet to supply a sulfuric acid plant to the
Metsä Group bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, Finland
Namibia: Possible Smelter Changes At Dundee
PQ Corporation
Announces Closing of Merger With Eco Services Operations LLC
Etihad Rail transports 5m tonnes of
sulphur granules
Smelter Fire Secrecy
Geingob opens N$3 billion sulphuric
plant in Tsumeb
Calabrian
Corp. to begin public consultation on Timmins sulphur dioxide plant
Outotec
Awardeda Sulphuric Acid Plant Contract from Boliden Harjavalta
Sulphur dioxide levels exceed maximum
limit
The Mar Camino solution
Technip
to provide Dorr roaster system for KGHM’s Polish copper smelter project
Gecko’s Big Ambitions
Abuse of dominant position – commission
issues statement of objection
King Mohammed VI Inaugurates MAD 6.1 billion OCP Projects
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SNC-Lavalin awarded EPC contract from Codelco for sulphuric acid
plant construction
Chile-based Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (Codelco), one of
the world’s largest copper producers, has appointed
TSX-listed engineering and construction group SNC-Lavalin to construct
two sulphuric acid plants at the Chuquicamata copper smelter complex,
located in the Antofagasta region of northern Chile.
Codelco’s project incorporates sulphuric acid production
technology by MECS, a wholly owned subsidiary of DuPont, with whom
SNC-Lavalin has successfully executed projects for more than 50 years.
The plants, which will produce up to 2 048 metric tonnes of market grade
sulphuric acid a day, will treat off-gas from the Chuquicamata smelter.These
new plants will replace those currently in operation at the facility and
are part of Codelco's ongoing environmental compliance plans.Construction is
expected to begin in early 2017 with SNC-Lavalin providing basic and
detailed engineering services, procuring equipment, and constructing the
acid plants through their Santiago and Toronto offices."Following
our recent contract award for the replacement of the effluent treatment
plant at the Chuquicamata copper smelter, this new contract again
supports our strong position in Latin America", noted
SNC-Lavalin mining and metallurgy president José J Suárez, adding that
the company was proud to be part of a project that would be a key
element in Codelco’s future environmental programme."Codelco's environmental values
are closely aligned with those of SNC-Lavalin and this adds to an
already excellent working relationship," he concluded.
Weir Minerals Lewis Pumps celebrates 125
years of specialist design and manufacturing
Weir Minerals
is proud to announce that 2016 marks its 125
year anniversary for one of its long standing brands –
Lewis® pumps. For 125 years, Weir
Minerals Lewis Pumps has developed
an international reputation in the design and
manufacture of pumps and valves in
the Sulphur, Sulphuric Acid and Phosphoric Acid industries. “It is an
honour to be celebrating 125 years of developing and manufacturing our
Lewis pump range in this ever-changing industry. We have witnessed many
challenges and opportunities throughout our history and continue to
advance to meet the demands of our markets,” states Bob
Elliott, Divisional Director
EHS/VCE for Weir Minerals and former Managing Director of Weir
Minerals Lewis Pumps.
History of Lewis® Pumps
Back in 1891, Charles
S. Lewis founded a company
called Chas. S Lewis and Co., Inc., a family business that
adopted alloy customization methods to furnish custom OEM pump lines to
the beer pasteurization and bottle cleaning industries.
By the turn of the century, in 1906, the company commenced manufacturing pumps in-house
and later developed and manufactured its first sulphuric acid pump in
1914, beginning a specialization which has continued to the present day.
This specialization in sulphuric
acid equipment continued and,
in 1975, the company manufactured its first sulphuric acid valve.
As the century drew to a close, the company became part of the Weir
Group in 1994. Weir’s well
established manufacturing excellence
programs were implemented at Lewis resulting in even greater level of
quality and performance. In 2012, the first Lewis® molten salt
pump was manufactured; these highly engineered centrifugal pumps
are integral to a molten salt systems
circulation in the solar
power industry.
“We have developed a full range of pumps engineered
for the unique requirements of molten salt. With over 100 years of
experience focused on high density and high temperature we have been
able to develop a pump which has a superior feature set to provide high
reliability and low operating costs,” says Bob
Elliott.
Today, after 125 years’ experience, Weir
Minerals Lewis Pumps still
manufactures this wide range of Lewis® pumps
and valves and
has made significant investment to develop and enhance its product line
to better serve the industries in which it operates. “In recent
years we have added gate, globe and butterfly valves with
our proprietary Lewmet alloy, proven to be highly effective in sulphuric
acid pumps,” states Ken
Black, Vice President Sales and Marketing for Weir
Minerals Lewis Pumps.
Strong Customer Focus
With customers in more than 100 countries, careful
manufacturing planning,
identifying the most requested spare parts and ensuring stock is
constantly replenished for the needed items is the key focus for
satisfying customers. This in-depth project involves
collecting and collating spare parts usage data to truly understand
customers’ requirements and actively stocking items that will meet
customers’ expectations during emergency situations. To ensure
successful implementation, Weir adopted a LEAN manufacturing strategy
to access and share global best practices and training between
all Weir factories. “Our most recent improvement efforts include
moving 92% of all factory
equipment into product cells,
linking our most requested spare parts into new replenishment
techniques, creating close bonds with key suppliers and reducing the
overall lead-time with an eye on strengthening spares availability,”
says Ken Black.
Investment
Weir Minerals Lewis Pumps recently
invested in the modification of its test stand area for axial flow pump testing.
This enables engineers to test all pumps extensively,
under real-life working conditions, before they leave the facility. In
addition, they have opened a new Distribution Center, which is 42,000
square feet of manufacturing and
office space, allowing them to manufacture, assemble and ship Weir
Minerals Lewis Pumps’ products to
customers around the world with ease. “We have streamlined our
process to allow all departments to review the orders on a daily basis.
This allows all departments to ask questions at the time the orders are
processed, improving the flow throughout
our system,” say Bob
Elliott. William Charles Stone, President of Weir
Minerals Lewis® Pumps states:
“Throughout the last 125 years, Lewis has remained dedicated to the
markets and the customers we serve around the world. This can be
witnessed through the evolution of our pumps, valves,
and related products.
Our people build, here in St.
Louis, products used
around the world in the production of food and energy.
Our product innovations,
dedicated group of employees, and continued investments here in the St.
Louis community ensure Lewis
will continue to be a valued
supplier to our customers who
feed the world and power the
global economy, as well as a good neighbor in our St.
Louis community for hopefully
what is another 125 years and beyond.”
India
Sulphuric Acid Market to Grow at CAGR 3.35% till 2025: TechSci Forecast
According to the recently published TechSci Research report "India
Sulphuric Acid Market Study, 2011 - 2025", the sulphuric acid market
in India is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 3.35% during 2016-2025, on
account ofincreasing fertilizer productionin the country.
Moreover,growing demand and consumption of sulphuric acid can be
attributed to rapid growth in population size of India, which is
subsequently driving demand for infrastructure, food crops and base
metals. Growingapplication of sulphuric acid in processing of
fertilizers and other industrial chemicals, coupled with rising
initiatives by Government of Indiato collaborate with global
manufacturing firms, are furtherexpected to drive India sulphuric acid
market during the forecast period.
Sulphuric acid is tailored for utilization as
the most crucial raw material and key ingredient in agriculture sector
with applications inproduction of fertilizers and pH
adjustment.Moreover, it is alsoan essential part of nearly all
manufactured goods, chemical synthesis such as hydrochloric acid, nitric
acid, sulphate salts, synthetic detergents, dyes and pigments,
explosives, and drugs. Sulphuric acid is utilized in carrying out
processing of metals by various methods including pickling of iron &
steel prior to plating process. Westregion was the major demand
generator for sulphuric acid in India over the past few years, owing to
presence of major fertilizer and chemical producing companieslocated in
this region.Furthermore, leading sulphuric acid manufacturers such as
Hindalco Industries Ltd., and Paradeep Phosphates Ltd., have an
installed production capacities of 1,670 and 660 thousand tons,
respectively."Fertilizer is the largest consumer of sulphuric acid
in India, owing torising urbanizationand growing population in the
country, which is furtherincreasing focus on agriculture sector
of India to meet growing demand for food. Phosphate fertilizers
production in India stood at 4,113.1 thousand metric tons in 2014, which
is further projected to increase in the coming years. Thus, growing
production of phosphate fertilizerand increasing use of sulphuric acid
in metal processingto boost demand for sulphuric acid in Indiaduring the
forecast period." said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director, with TechSci
Research, a research based global management consulting
firm."India Sulphuric AcidMarket Opportunities, 2011 - 2025" has
analyzed the potential of the sulphuric acid market in India and
provides statistics and information on market sizes, shares and trends.
The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help
decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report
also identifies and analyzes the emerging trends along with essential
drivers and key challenges faced by India Sulphuric Acid market.
SNC-Lavalin Awarded Contract by Norilsk Nickel for Sulphur
Dioxide Mitigation Project in Russia
SNC-Lavalin is proud to announce that it has
been awarded a contract by Norilsk Nickel (LSE:MNODI) to implement a
Sulphur Recovery Project at the Nadezhda Smelter, located at the
company's Polar Division in the Krasnoyarsk Region, Russia. This project
is one of the largest sulphur dioxide mitigation projects in the world.
SNC-Lavalin will prepare detailed engineering and process drawings, and
will execute the project through its offices in Toronto and Moscow, as
well as a site presence in Norilsk Nickel. The target of the project is
to reduce SO2 emissions by capturing emitted sulphur dioxide, a gas that
contributes to the formation of acid rain. "We are honored to have
been awarded this project," said José J. Suárez, President, Mining &
Metallurgy, SNC-Lavalin. "SNC-Lavalin has forged a deep relationship
with Norilsk Nickel, and we are proud to continue to execute high
technology projects that provide state of the art sulphur emission
reduction solutions for our clients worldwide. Norilsk Nickel's
confidence in SNC-Lavalin further reinforces our capabilities in the
full delivery of complex sulphur emissions reduction and mining projects
in remote areas. We are proud to use our experience to benefit Norilsk
Nickel in significantly reducing emissions", he added.
SAR takes delivery of specialised
freight wagons
October 25, 2016 - SAUDI Railway Company
(SAR) has started to take delivery of 1186 tank wagons for the transport
of sulphur and phosphoric acid for operation of the 2750km North-South
Railway. The wagons are of three types and comprise 58 for the
transport of pure phosphoric acid, 586 for moving phosphoric acid, and
562 for carrying molten sulphur. The latter have thermal insulation and
special safety equipment to prevent explosions or combustion during
transit. The sulphur wagons are designed so that the temperature of the
sulphur can be increased to 120oC to convert it back to a liquid to
facilitate unloading. SAR is also taking delivery of another 36
diesel locomotives from Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), United States, to
haul the new wagons. Three locomotives will be used to haul each consist
of 30 wagons. The locomotives are designed to withstand temperatures
ranging from -10oC to 65oC and have a system to expel air to prevent the
accumulation of dust and sand in the air filters. The locomotives also
have high-definition cameras at each end to improve safety as well as
sand ploughs. The trains are expected to transport 2.3 million
tonnes of raw materials and finished products to and from seven chemical
plants being built by Ma’aden at the new Promise of the North facility
near Turaif in the north of the country. The plant will be able to
produce 16 million tonnes of chemical products a year when it is
completed.
Chinese miners evaluating pending bid for Peru’s La Oroya
smelter
October 6, 2016 - Peru’s government will likely ease sulfur dioxide
emissions limits to attract investors to an auction for the La Oroya
polymetallic smelter in early 2017.
The director of Dirige, the company managing the liquidation of
the bankrupted Doe Run Peru’s assets, told Reuters that an auction for
the historic smelter and the Cobriza copper mine in the central state of
Junin will be auctioned off in the first quarter of 2017.
“It is difficult to ensure that the two units will be auctioned
at the same time,” Pablo Peschiera said. “We will present them together
until the board of creditors allows a piecemeal sale.”
Peschiera said that the final selling price for both the smelter
and mine would likely be around $100 million, and legally required
upgrades to the smelter would require $700 million more in investment.
He added that Dirige is lobbying for the government to absolve the new
operator from Doe Run’s environmental fines.
El Comercio reports that at least six companies are evaluating a
bid, including Chinese state mining firm China Nonferrous Metal Mining
(CNMC), a joint venture between Greennovo and ZincOx (EETAC), Southern
Peaks, Global Resources Solutions, Stellar Mining and Capital Partners.
A former Doe Run Peru lawyer told El Comercio that the Chinese
companies EETAC and CNMC were most likely to win the auction. China is
the world’s largest consumer of copper and Peru’s top trading partner.
But China’s tightening environmental legislation prohibits the refining
of metals heavy in contaminants such as arsenic.
China’s state mining firm Chinalco, which operates the Toromocho
copper mine also located in Junin, recently received a cash injection of
$325 million as it struggles with billions of dollars in liabilities
driven by environmental fines due to arsenic content in its copper
concentrates. Chinalco’s director in Peru told Gestion that the copper
from Toromocho is high in arsenic, antimony and other impurities.
A labor union representative told Gestion that there were nine
companies evaluating the auction, and that his organization had already
met with officials from Greennovo.
“EETAC has visited La Oroya seven times and they have a technical
team of eight metallurgists from Greennovo doing due diligence now,” a
source close to the board of creditors told El Comercio in July, adding
that Stellar Mining and Capital Partners are only interested in Cobriza.
Doe Run Peru declared bankruptcy in 2009 when the financial
crisis sent commodity prices tumbling and the company could not get
credit to purchase concentrates for refining. The company has over $600
million in liabilities, including $500 million in fines for not
complying with environmental standards and at least $90 million to local
mineworkers. An attempt to
auction off the La Oroya smelter and Cobriza copper mine in 2015
received no bids, which analysts attribute to low prices for copper,
Peru’s strict emissions limits and Doe Run’s pending liabilities.
After the failed auction mineworkers in La Oroya held protests
which resulted in one dead and
dozens injured to demand the government take action to save the smelter,
without which the town of 30,000 would likely be abandoned.
While President Ollanta
Humala’s
government extended Doe Run’s
bankruptcy by decree in order
to give the liquidation process another year until a new government took
office in 2016, it refused to
relax emissions standards to
the levels of Chile and Canada recommended by investors and workers.
Environmentalists point to the lead contamination in and around
La Oroya, which gained international notoriety when TIME Magazine ranked
it the fifth most polluted city in the world due to “dangerously high
concentrations” of lead in the local children’s blood.
President Pedro Pablo
Kuczynski in August backed a
bill which ultimately changed
Peru’s bankruptcy law to buy
more time to find a buyer for La Oroya. He has advocated loosening the
sulfur dioxide limits in La Oroya to attract a buyer. His economic plan
calls for Peru moving beyond mining into
value-added services such as refining.
Jacobs Acquires BAYQIK® Sulfuric
Acid Converter Technology from Bayer AG
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) announced today it acquired the
patent rights for BAYQIK® quasi-isothermal
sulfuric acid converter technology and other related technology from
Bayer AG. Under the terms of the agreement, the technology
transfer includes all relevant Bayer technical, commercial and market
information. In addition, Bayer is providing transitional services to
help ensure a seamless transfer of the BAYQIK business. Terms of the
transaction will not be disclosed. BAYQIK technology enables more
efficient conversion of process gas with high SO2 concentrations.
Bayer developed, piloted and commercialized the technology over the past
10 years. A full-scale installation based on the technology has operated
successfully for seven years. Commenting on the announcement,
Jacobs President Petroleum and Chemicals Gary Mandel said the
acquisition complements Jacobs’ existing sulfuric acid technology
portfolio, enabling the company to provide state-of-the-art technology
to both the low strength and high strength SO2 market
segments. “This acquisition is an exciting development for
our Chemetics process technology solutions business and our process
industry clients,” said Mandel. “BAYQIK is proven to be a superior
and more flexible option for processing high strength SO2 gas,
a growing requirement for clients in the non-ferrous metallurgical acid
plant market. “We’re thrilled to add this robust technology to our
sulfuric acid technology portfolio and offer this capability to clients
by leveraging the global reach of Jacobs’ network.”
Saudi Aramco sets September sulphur price at $74/tonne FOB
August 31, 2016 - Saudi Aramco Trading has set its
September sulphur price at $74/tonne FOB (free on board) Jubail, market
sources confirmed on Wednesday. The September price represents
an $8/tonne increase from August. Last week, Saudi Aramco was
heard to have sold 45,000 tonnes of sulphur at $75/tonne FOB for 20-30
September loading in Jubail for China. This
news follows an announcement from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
(ADNOC), which set its official selling price (OSP) for September
sulphur shipments to India at $77/tonne FOB Ruwais, a $7/tonne increase
from August. Qatar International Petroleum Marketing Company
(Tasweeq) has also increased its Qatar Sulphur Price (QSP) for September
by $9/tonne to $74/tonne FOB Ras Laffan.
Sulfuric acid leak "under control" in Geismar, authorities say
August 14, 2016 - Residents near the
Honeywell Plant were alerted just before 11:30 pm that the sulfuric acid
leaks at the plant were "under control," according to a fax
from Iberville Parish emergency authorities.Residents had been asked to
shelter in place after the leak was discovered. A second leak occurred
not long after the first, authorities said.Chief Kevin Ambeau of St.
Gabriel Police said he could see a cloud of gas after the release from
Honeywell. He advised everyone to shelter in place in the St. Gabriel
and Carville areas.First responders reported burning eyes due to the
gas.A statement from Honeywell spokesperson Peter Dalpe read as
follows:“Honeywell's Geismar facility experienced a leak of sulfuric
acid this evening. The facility's emergency response team is working to
mitigate and stop the leak. The plant has instructed employees of the
site and two neighboring sites to shelter in place as a precaution. The
facility also notified state police of the incident as per plant
procedure.”The plant is located at 5525 Highway 3115 in Geismar.
Itronics Now Producing Elemental Sulfur
August 2, 2016 - Itronics Inc., a growing and diversified fertilizer,
silver, and minerals producer, has announced that its pilot scale FeLix,
SuLix leaching system is now producing dry sulfur powder that can be
used by the company as an ingredient for liquid fertilizer
manufacturing. Also, the silver concentrates have, for the first time,
been measured to contain gold, palladium, and platinum recovered from
the photographic liquid feed materials.Pilot scale leaching has been
underway since late fall 2015 to produce commercially saleable silver
bullion from a mixture of its internally generated silver concentrates
and e-scrap (ground up computer circuit boards). “Production of
elemental sulfur by our new ‘Green Tech’ leaching technology is an
exciting development for our investors,” said Dr. John Whitney, Itronics
President. “It improves the efficiency of our processes without a
significant increase in cost and creates an opportunity to formulate new
products. Also, the inclusion of measurable gold, palladium and platinum
in our silver concentrates is a potential benefit to Itronics.”The new
leaching technology is now producing four products: (1) silver
concentrate, (2) a high iron content liquid ingredient for use in
fertilizer, (3) a high sulfur content liquid ingredient for use in
fertilizer and (4) dry sulfur powder.About 75 out of each 100 pounds of
the feed material to the leaching process is now being recovered for use
as ingredients for the manufacture of GOLD’n GRO fertilizers. All of the
silver in the leach process feed materials is retained in the
concentrates being delivered to the refinery along with gold, palladium,
and platinum. The new leaching technology has improved the productivity
of the company’s refining furnaces by 10 times.
SK
Capital Returns Five Times Its Money on Calabrian Sale
August 2, 2016 - SK Capital Partners cleaned up with its sale of
specialty chemicals company Calabrian Corp. to Ineos Enterprises, both
literally and figuratively. The New York private-equity firm,
which focuses partly on investments in the chemicals industry, will earn
a five-times gross return on its original investment in the company,
which produces liquid sulfur dioxide and other chemicals used for
wastewater treatment, personal care and food production, as well as for
mining and oil and gas operations, according to a person with knowledge
of the deal. The company, of Kingwood, Texas, profited from a
technology it developed that is more environmentally friendly than
traditional methods of producing liquid sulfur dioxide. Conventional
methods typically burn the sulfur with air, and the air contains
nitrogen, which contributes to acid rain. Calabrian’s technology,
however, uses pure oxygen, which reduces emissions and is more
environmentally friendly and cost effective, said Jack Norris, a
managing director who led the deal for SK Capital. “There were a
number of players in the industry producing [sulfur dioxide] in
conventional ways that exited the market because of environmental
hurdles and the cost of that, as well as the risk factors around this
particular type of chemistry,” said Mr. Norris. “As those companies
exited, Calabrian filled that space.” Calabrian’s sale to Ineos
Enterprises, a subsidiary of Rolle, Switzerland-based chemical company
Ineos AG, comes a little more than five years after SK
Capital recapitalized the company in 2011 alongside the Cogliandro
family, which founded the company. During that time, SK Capital
expanded Calabrian’s business beyond its regional roots in Texas to
other areas, including Latin America and Canada. The company built a new
production facility in Eastern Canada that will be operational by
year-end. By that time, Calabrian will have tripled its earnings since
SK Capital’s acquisition, according to a news release. One of the
bigger drivers of Calabrian’s growth came from its expansion into the
mining sector, a major industry in both Canada and parts of Latin
America. “[Sulfur dioxide] is used as a detoxification agent for
sodium cyanide, which is used for the leaching of various metals,
particularly gold, and that was an area where we didn’t have a market
presence,” said Mr. Norris. SK Capital also invested in the
expansion of Calabrian’s existing facilities in Texas in 2013, which
increased those facilities’ sulfur dioxide production capacity by 50%,
he said. SK Capital originally invested in Calabrian from SK
Capital Partners III LP, a $500 million debut institutional fund closed
in 2011. SK Capital invests $100 million to $200 million per company in
the specialty materials, chemicals and health-care industries. Mr.
Norris said the firm’s experience in backing chemicals companies not
only helped it win the company in 2011, but also helped transform the
business. In addition to guiding the company to new markets, the firm
brought in a new chief executive in 2014. “This was not a quick
flip,” he said.
Sherritt Announces Successful Start-Up of New Moa Joint Venture
Acid Plant
July 19, 2016 -
Sherritt International Corporation announced today that the third acid
plant at the Moa Joint Venture (50% interest) in Cuba is in
commissioning and has begun producing sulphuric acid. The 2,000 tonne
per day plant is operating currently at approximately 900 tonnes per
day, with full performance testing scheduled over the coming weeks. The
project was concluded within the established construction timeline and
completion budget of US$65 million (100% basis), and was Moa Nickel's
first capital project to be fully financed by a Cuban financial
institution."We are pleased to complete this expansion project and to
see it start up successfully on time and on budget," said David Pathe,
President and CEO, Sherritt International. "The third acid plant
delivers significant cost savings, and reduces fuel consumption. The
safety record during construction and commissioning was a 0.48 Lost Time
Injury rate with over 1.2 million exposure hours and speaks to the high
standards upheld by the Cuban construction workforce."When in full
operation, the third acid plant has the potential to reduce the Moa JV
Net Direct Cash Cost ("NDCC") by approximately US$0.50/lb, with the
savings derived from an elimination of third-party sulphuric acid
purchases and reduced fuel oil purchases. Initial NDCC benefits will be
realized in the fourth quarter this year with the full NDCC impact
expected in 2017.
Japanese-Turkish consortium implements chemical project in
Turkmenistan
July 10, 2016 - A workshop for the production of 500,000 tons of
sulfuric acid per year was commissioned at a chemical plant in
Turkmenabat town, Lebap region, Turkmenistan, the Turkmen government’s
report said. According to the report, the project was implemented
by a consortium consisting of Japanese Mitsui company and Turkish
Rönesans company. "The design capacity of the workshop is not only
to fully meet the country’s domestic demand for high-quality sulfuric
acid but also supply most of products for export," the report said.
Sulfuric acid is an important component in the production of mineral
phosphate fertilizers. This chemical is also used in the production of
other acids and salts, medicaments and detergents, dyes, synthetic
fibers. Chemical industry is one of the most promising sectors of
the Turkmen economy. The priority is to increase capacity for the
production of various types of fertilizers.
Outotec to revamp a copper smelter and sulfuric acid plant in
South America
June 20, 2016 - Outotec has been awarded a contract by a customer in
South America to revamp a copper smelter and sulfuric acid plant. The
order value of over EUR 33 million has been booked in Outotec's 2016
second quarter order intake.Outotec will deliver engineering, process
technology and equipment for improved gas handling and reduced sulfur
dioxide emissions, improved heat recovery and water management, as well
as technical assistance during the construction, commissioning and
start-up of the smelter and acid plant."We are pleased to provide
specialized technical services to our customer and help them to comply
with the new environmental regulations. In this project we have combined
our efforts with our customer to extend the life cycle of their
facilities, secure business sustainability and care of environment in a
mutually beneficial way", says Jyrki Makkonen, head of Outotec's Metals,
Energy & Water business area.
http://www.nasdaq.com
Veolia Takes over Chemours' Sulfur Product Assets, Strengthening
Its Services to the Oil & Gas Industry for the Treatment and Recycling
of Industrial Waste in the United States
June 14, 2016 - Veolia North America has
signed an agreement to take over Chemours’ Sulfur Products division.
This division is a specialist in the recovery of sulfuric acid and gases
of the refining process, which are regenerated into clean acid and steam
used in wide range of industrial activities. As a tuck-in to Veolia
North America’s Industrial Business, Chemours Sulfur Products division
is an excellent complement to Veolia’s existing business, and will
reinforce its existing recovery and regeneration capabilities and
technologies. Sulfuric acid is one of the most important compounds
made by the chemical industry and is used to manufacture hundreds of
compounds needed by almost every industry. Natural gas and oil
contain sulfur compounds, both organic and hydrogen sulfide, both of
which must be removed before they are used as fuels or chemical
feedstock. Through the takeover of Chemour’s Sulfur Products
assets for $325 million, Veolia complements its asset base in the
regeneration business, and thus the circular economy. This
operation includes the following facilities providing regeneration
services and sulfur products:
- Three Sulfuric Acid Recovery units located on refinery sites in
Delaware, New Jersey and Texas.
- A merchant Sulfuric Acid Recovery and sulfur product facility in
Burnside, Louisiana.
- Four sulfur-based acid production facilities located in the
Mid-Atlantic and East Coast.
Veolia will also be able to rely on the inherent technical expertise
relating to sulfur through Chemours’ Acid Technology Center, which
boasts 18 engineers who exclusively support the Sulfur Products
division.This take-over provides Veolia with a highly differentiated
services offering to allow it to move up the value chain with existing
refinery customers, along with an opportunity to cross-sell its existing
offerings to a new customer base. It also presents growth
opportunities within the refinery services sector, and it positions
Veolia to capture future demand for clean gasoline related products.
The Sulfur Products assets, with approximately $262 million in revenue
in 2015, employs 250 employees at 7 sites across North America.
Parties anticipate closing the transaction within the second half of
2016, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Outotec awarded a sulfuric acid technology contract from Intecsa
Industrial, Spain
June 2, 2016 - Outotec awarded a sulfuric acid technology contract from
Intecsa Industrial, Spain. Outotec has agreed with the Spanish
engineering company Intecsa Industrial, part of ACS Group, on the design
and delivery of process technology and proprietary equipment for two
sulfuric acid plants to be built in connection with the El Nasr Co. for
Intermediate Chemicals (NCIC) fertilizer plant in Egypt. The order is
valued at over EUR 30 million and has been booked in Outotec's 2016
second quarter order intake. The two new sulfuric acid plants
designed by Outotec, each with a capacity of 1,900 tonnes per day, will
produce high grade sulfuric acid from elemental sulfur for fertilizer
production and steam for energy generation. The plants will meet all the
current and planned Egyptian environmental requirements. In order to
recover as much energy as possible, the heat recovery system uses the
surplus heat of the waste heat boiler and absorption section and turns
it into low- and high-pressure steam. The sulfuric acid plants are
expected to be operational in 2018. "We are pleased to be involved
in the NCIC fertilizer project through our partner Intecsa Industrial.
Outotec's advanced sulfuric acid plant solution will be the key part of
the fertilizer production complex and enable efficient use of resources
with minimal environmental impact," says Pertti Korhonen, President and
CEO of Outotec.
Making
amends for sulphuric acid controversy, company gives $100,000 to Mobile
Fire-Rescue Department
May 5, 2016 - Last summer, Arc Terminals got in the doghouse with Mobile
leaders and environmentalists alike for storing sulphuric acid on the
waterfront before receiving permission to do so. On Tuesday, city
leaders praised the company for a six-figure gesture of amends.At the
Mobile City Council's Tuesday meeting, Mayor Sandy Stimpson announced
that the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department had accepted a $100,000 donation
from the company. Stimpson said the gift exceeded any possible fines the
city could have levied on the company for the incident, and that he was
"grateful Arc has stepped up ... to bring this issue to closure."The
August 2015 revelation that Arc had been acting without approval was a
flash point in a long-running debate over city regulation of
petrochemical tank facilities along the Mobile waterfront. Even industry
supporters were taken aback; Stimpson's administration promised fines
and said it was "disappointed by the irresponsible and reckless behavior
displayed by Arc and its partners."The bigger debate finally was settled
in March, when the Council approved a measure that imposed some limits
on tank farm development, though less than some had hoped for. On
Tuesday, the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department said the $100,000 would go
directly to equipment upgrades for its hazardous materials team. Among
the planned purchases, $45,000 will buy an AreaRAE monitoring system
that can measure potential threats at the site of a chemical spill;
$14,094 will pay for upgrades to hazmat suits; $10,000 will go for a
thermal imaging camera; and $14,374 will provide sensors used to monitor
volatile organic compounds and other hazardous gases.According to
information released by the MRFD, Arc made the donation as part of a
settlement negotiated with the city. "The payment by Arc exceeds any
possible fines the City could have recovered against Arc for the zoning
issue," according to the MFRD statement. "Arc completed the removal of
all sulfuric acid from the Blakely terminal last year."This generous
donation by ARC will go far in helping us be better prepared for an
industrial incident of near any type," said Public Safety Director
Richard Landolt.
GCT, DuPont MECS sign agreement on air pollution mitigation in
Gabes
May 27, 2016 - An agreement to reduce air
pollution from the phosphoric acid plant in Gabes was signed, on
Thursday in Tunis, by the Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT) and a US
sulfuric acid plant under DuPont MECS Group, in the presence of Minister
of energy and mines Mongi Marzouk.The project, with a cost of 45 million
dinars, provides for the transformation of the 2nd sulfuric acid unit of
the phosphoric acid plant in Gabes from simple to double absorption with
energy recovery through the Heat Recovery System.CEO of the Gafsa
Phosphate Company (CPG) and GCT Romdhane Souid said the project
co-financed up to 50% by the European Investment Bank (EIB) reflects the
group’s desire to fight against air pollution in the industrial area in
Gabes.The project, which is part of the environmental upgrading of the
group, will reduce sulphur dioxide emissions (SO2) by 85% and
produce an additional 32 tons of steam/hour, i.e. the equivalent of the
production of 5 megawatts/hour of electricity, technical deputy director
of the company Abdelhafidh Abdelhamid told TAP.It also provides for the
acquisition and installation by GCT of demineralisation unit whose
capacity is 50m3/hour.The agreement was signed by the CEO of
CPG and GCT and vice-president of the Belgium-based DuPont MECS Group
Thierry Marin.
Valmet to supply a sulfuric acid plant to the Metsä Group bioproduct
mill in Äänekoski, Finland
May 20, 2016 - Valmet will supply a sulfuric acid plant to Metsä Group's
bioproduct mill in Äänekoski for in-house sulfuric acid production. By
means of the new sulfuric acid plant of its own the bioproduct mill can
utilize the chemicals in the odorous gases of the pulp manufacturing
process. This will help to reduce the wastewater load considerably. The
start-up of the plant is scheduled for the third quarter of
2017.Valmet's delivery is part of Metsä Group's sulfuric acid plant
investment that is valued at roughly EUR 20 million. The order is
included in Valmet's second quarter 2016 orders received. The value of
the order is not disclosed."The sulfuric acid plant producing process
chemicals from sulfur compounds from odorous gases is a remarkable step
towards closed chemical circulation and further improves the
environmental performance of the bioproduct mill," saysTimo Merikallio,
Project Director of bioproduct mill at Metsä Group."More efficient
utilization of the raw materials and putting circular economy into
practice within the industry increases the need for new innovations. The
sulfuric acid plant technology that will be delivered to Äänekoski is
developed by Valmet. We have developed also multiple new biotechnology
processes for pulp and energy industries including lignin and bio-oil
production," says Risto Hämäläinen, Director, Environmental Systems at
Valmet.Technical information about the deliveryThe order includes a
sulfuric acid plant developed by Valmet. The plant consists of a
concentrated non-condensable gas (CNCG) incinerator and a sulfuric acid
converting plant. The production capacity of the plant will be
approximately 35 tons of sulfuric acid per day. This will be the world's
first larger scale sulfuric acid plant that will be in operation at a
pulp mill.The new plant will enable the bioproduct mill to become nearly
self-sufficient in sulfuric acid, as the odorous gases produced in the
pulping process can be converted into sulfuric acid. This will bring
significant environmental advantages. The amount of sulfate lead to the
mill's effluent treatment plant will be reduced and the sulfate load in
the nearby waterways will be smaller compared to the current mill in
Äänekoski. The CNCG incineration plant can be used as a back-up boiler
for producing process steam by incinerating CNCG, tall oil pitch or
liquid methanol.
Namibia: Possible Smelter Changes At Dundee
May 13, 2016 - The recently commissioned Dundee Precious Smelter in
Tsumeb may undergo a significant change in the near future, with plans
in place to increase the size of the smelter. This is what the Economist
was able to establish when it recently contacted, Dundee spokesperson,
Alina Garises, to gain clarity on the matter. Garises explained that
Dundee Precious was still in the preliminary stages of an anticipated
expansion project and that a final decision is still to be made. "We are
in the preliminary stages of this project. No final decision to expand
has been made and no final decision on an expansion can be made until
the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) process is
complete and the final report issued. Therefore, we are not
in a position to provide additional details on the proposal such as
anticipated cost, potential new employment and time frames for the
possible completion of the project," she added. Based on a throughput of
240 000 to 310 000 tons of copper concentrate, the N$2.7 billion smelter
produces between 270 000 to 340 000 of sulphuric acid yearly. With the
change in the plant set-up, the smelter's ability to recover copper is
expected to improve. "Currently, the Ausmelt furnace and its lack of
holding capacity has created a bottle neck in production. Dundee
Precious Metals Tsumeb proposes to upgrade the Ausmelt feed system and
furnace, install a rotary holding furnace, implement a slow cooling
system and upgrade the slag mill to improve copper recovery," said
Garises. "The plant is designed to capture off-gases that are rich in
sulphur dioxide from copper smelting and to convert them into sulphuric
acid. The plant is an effort to eliminate sulphur dioxide emissions that
have plagued Tsumeb residents since the smelter opened in 1963," she
explained. Dundee Precious has previously stated that it has spent
upwards of N$5 billion on the smelter in an effort to make it
environmentally friendly as possible and the planned expansion will no
doubt add to that figure.
PQ Corporation Announces Closing of
Merger With Eco Services Operations LLC
May 4, 2016 - PQ Corporation (“PQ”), a leading global manufacturer of
specialty inorganic performance chemicals, high-end catalysts, and
engineered glass beads, and Eco Services Operations LLC (“Eco
Services”), the North American leader in sulfuric acid recycling
services, announced today the closing of a previously announced merger
that bolsters PQ’s position as a world-class specialty inorganic
chemical company. Concurrently with the closing of the merger
between PQ and Eco Services, PQ has also refinanced its existing credit
facilities by entering into a USD$1.2 billion senior secured term loan
(consisting of a USD$900 million senior secured term loan and a USD$300
million Euro equivalent senior secured term loan), USD$625 million in
new senior secured notes, USD$525 million in senior unsecured notes, and
a USD$200 million asset-based secured revolving credit facility. The
existing $200 million of Eco Services notes will remain
outstanding.“Combining PQ and Eco Services and refinancing our credit
facilities positions the new PQ to grow and prosper well into the
future,” said George J. Biltz, President and Chief Executive Officer of
the combined company. “Moving forward, our customers will continue to
see superior product offerings and top-notch service from our dedicated
team.”Biltz also noted that the combination joins two specialty
inorganic chemical companies that have similar business models and
complementary customers. Both companies provide mission-critical
products and services to the refinery industry, with PQ supplying
catalysts necessary for the refining of crude oil and Eco Services
providing sulfuric acid regeneration services needed in the alkylation
process. Biltz anticipates a smooth integration process that is expected
to yield significant back-office savings and other synergies that will
serve PQ’s growth initiatives.Michael R. Boyce will continue to serve as
Chairman of the Board of PQ while refining industry services veteran
Paul J. Ferrall will serve as President of the Eco Services business
unit. Affiliates of CCMP Capital, INEOS Capital, and management remain
as shareholders of the combined business.
Etihad Rail transports 5m tonnes of sulphur
granules
April 9, 2016
- Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s $11 billion
national railway network, announced that it has transported more than
5.24 million tonnes of granulated sulphur in the first 18 months of
Stage One operations for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), from
sources at Shah and Habshan to its point of export at Ruwais.
Equivalent to more than 330,000 truck trips, the transport of granulated
sulphur is the workhorse of Etihad Rail’s Stage One, which received
approval for commercial operations from the Federal Transport
Authority’s (FTA) – Land and Maritime in December 2015. Two trains
depart daily under the current timetable, each carrying 11,000 tonnes of
granulated sulphur and capable of reaching a top-speed of 120 kilometres
per hour. Etihad Rail is the country’s latest and most robust
facilitator of sulphur movement, which is rapidly growing as an integral
part of the UAE economy. Sulphur is a by-product of oil and gas
production and Adnoc and its affiliates export tonnes of sulphur.
“Surpassing the 5.24-million-tonne mark with the transport of granulated
sulphur is a significant milestone for Etihad Rail and stands as an
emblem of our unwavering commitment to facilitating economic
connectivity across Abu Dhabi and the UAE,” said Eng. Faris Saif Al
Mazrouei, chief executive officer of Etihad Rail. “Stage One’s
continued progress is a testament to the strength of the partnership
between Etihad Rail and Adnoc, who are committed to the UAE’s continued
economic diversification and stand aligned with Abu Dhabi Economic
Vision 2030 and UAE Vision 2021,” Eng. Al Mazrouei added.
Stretching a distance of 264-kilometre, Stage One links the sulphur
sources of Shah and Habshan to the export point of Ruwais via the Mirfa
depot, which was recently awarded the Estidama 2 Pearl Construction
Rating by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) for its seven
sustainable buildings. Stage One utilises seven state-of-the-art
locomotives from US-based Electro-Motive Diesel, with wagons supplied by
China’s CSR Corporation. The multi-billion dollar integrated rail
network project, which will span approximately 1,200 kilometres when
complete, is undergoing construction in three stages. The UAE will
witness the development of a secure railway transportation network
capable of transporting large volumes of goods and materials while
linking the UAE’s principle centres of population and industry, along
with the greater GCC railway network. Etihad Rail is being
developed in line with the core tenets of Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030
and UAE Vision 2021, which collectively chart a course for economic
diversification through strategic initiatives set to catalyse UAE
socio-economic growth. At full capacity, Stage One of Etihad Rail
is slated to transport more than seven million tonnes of granulated
sulphur annually.
Smelter Fire Secrecy
April 7, 2016 - A misguided effort to save the reputation of a smelter
company during the opening of its state-of-the-art Acid Plant in Tsumeb
led to the refusal to confirm the details of an explosion of a furnace
that resulted in injuries and a suspension of a supervisor. The
bursting of a copper smelting furnace at the Dundee Smelter three weeks
ago was kept under wraps until yesterday to save President Dr Hage
Geingob the embarrassment before he opened the Dundee Acid Plant
yesterday, 6 April. The copper smelter furnace burst on 13 of
March and the company’s fire brigade and that of the town’s municipality
were mobilised to extinguish the raging sulphuric acid-fueled fire. In
the process the fire fighters used water instead of foam and the furnace
exploded injuring six people. The acid spread throughout the
premises and started melting the shoes of the fire fighters, which led
to six people being hospitalised for inhaling acid fumes, and one was
critically injured as the acid ate through the soles of his shoes.
Dundee has vehemently denied that the incident ever took place, even in
the face of credible information and has gone a step further to suspend
the supervisor for safety for alleged negligence a week ago, information
that was also smothered. It could not be established whether the
company has reported the incident to the authorities but it must have
been an undesirable incident that could have put the safety of working
with dangerous and poisonous chemicals in disrepute in the eyes of
President Geingob, after a lifeline was thrown to Dundee by Cabinet in
2012. For the past half a century, Tsumeb has been a health risk
caused by local sulphur dioxide (SO2) gas emissions from the Namibian
Custom Smelter, until Dundee Precious Metals took over the smelter in
2010. In 2013, after consultation with government the mine was rebranded
from the former Custom Smelter to Dundee Smelter with the construction
of the acid plant. Dundee took a long-term strategy to bring the smelter
to internationally-accepted environmental standards, and in response to
government and public concerns about the emissions, they built
facilities that capture arsenic emissions and use them to produce
sulphuric acid which is a critical component in the mining industry. The
plant is designed to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by 95%. The
state-of-the-art plant was officially inaugurated by President Dr Hage
Geingob yesterday. Dr Geingob said that the acid plant came as a result
of numerous genuine complaints that the government received from Tsumeb
residents over time. “The original complaints were in 2011 that the
smelter was emitting arsenic dust which adversely affected the lives of
employees and community members. The government heard the complaints and
decided to address the problem. The Cabinet at the time tasked the line
minister to investigate the matter with support of UNDP, which was
concluded in 2012.” The president continued that problems that
were indicated in the report could be solved and there was no need to
close the smelter. “Cabinet decided to improve smelter operations to
meet Namibian and International standards of modernising infrastructure.
Dundee was then entrusted to install modern high technology equipment
that ensure the problem of 2011 is comprehensively addressed.“
Dundee chief executive officer and president, Rick Howes said the acid
plant project is only the latest initiative in a series of investments
made to upgrade the smelter to modern standards. “It costs N$2 billion,
and it shows our commitment to improve the quality of life for employees
and local people and also reduce the impact the smelter has on
environment.“ The sulphuric acid produced is sold to uranium mines
and is transported by rail to the coast.http://www.informante.web.na/smelter-fire-secrecy.17547
Geingob opens N$3 billion sulphuric plant in Tsumeb
April 7, 2016 - President Hage Geingob
yesterday inaugurated Dundee Precious Metal’s N$3.9 billion sulphuric
acid plant in Tsumeb, part of a strategic new business venture for the
copper smelting company.
The plant is said to be able to eliminate
about 95 percent of toxic emissions pumped into the air by the smelter.
The acid plant will capture sulphur dioxide emissions that result from
the mineral smelting process and use these to produce sulphuric acid, a
critical component in the mining industry.
The investment is expected to ensure there
will be no emissions of sulphur dioxide into the air through the furnace
stack, particularly over Tsumeb or the work areas of the smelter, which
has for many years affected residents in the surrounding areas.
The N$3.9 billion investment in the
state-of-the-art acid manufacturing plant is one of the largest direct
capital investments in the country, bringing with it modern high
technology and equipment of world-class standard.
“It is pleasing to note that our calls for
increased beneficiation and value addition in the mining sector are
being implemented by investors. The acid produced here will create
business opportunities for TransNamib and other companies. These are the
types of investments we value, investments that produce positive
spillovers into the rest of our economy,” President Geingob said at the
event, which was witnessed by Minister of Environment and Tourism
Pohamba Shifeta, Minister of Defence Penda ya Ndakolo and Minister of
Mines and Energy Obeth Kandjoze, among other high-ranking officials and
senior managers.
“Today we can confidently say that Tsumeb
Smelter is close to full compliance with Namibian standards, pending the
finalisation of the certification process and I expect this process to
be concluded expeditiously,” the president further stated.
Geingob also noted that Dundee’s investment
is a positive response to the manner in which government continues to
support the promotion of investment in the mining sector by creating a
stable political environment and a conducive business climate.
Construction started in 2013 with N$2.6
billion having been committed to the construction of the acid plant,
while the overall investment in the plant amounts to N$3.9 billion. The
acid plant is expected to produce 230 000 to 280 000 tonnes of sulphuric
acid per year, which will be contained within the acid plant and
transported in approved, safe and secure containers to destinations
nationally.
For over 50 years Tsumeb endured unpleasant
sulphuric dioxide fumes from the smelter operation, which presented
problems in terms of public and occupational health. These concerns led
Cabinet to take a decision in 2011 to conduct an investigation into ways
to resolve the problem, and this process eventually led to the
establishment of an acid plant.
“We saw the challenge and decided to use it
as a business opportunity to use these gases to develop new enterprises
that would improve the environment. This is further an indication of
Dundee’s commitment to improving the environment, investing in the
region, as well as creating employment,” said Dundee’s vice president
and managing director, Zebra Kaseta.
Kaseta said the project is just one of a
series of investments made to upgrade the Tsumeb Smelter to modern
standards.
Calabrian
Corp. to begin public consultation on Timmins sulphur dioxide plant
April
4, 2016 - Calabrian’s application is currently listed with the Ontario
Environmental Registry, which is posted online at http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External.
The EBR (Environmental Bill of Rights) reference number is 012-7078.
The application states that Calabrian is seeking compliance approvals
and will include the addition of new or historically unapproved sources
for all emissions from the sulphur dioxide manufacturing facility
producing sulphur dioxide gas which will be condensed to the liquid
state for storage and shipment. The application includes all
sources at the facility, including:
- two (2) sequential sulphur
dioxide absorbers,
- one (1) cooling tower,
- two (2) natural gas fired
boilers,
- natural gas fired comfort
heating system and
- diesel fired emergency generator.
Emissions to the atmosphere
from this facility include sulphur dioxide, particulate matter and
products of combustion, said the application website. The public
consultation period began in mid-March and will continue through to the
last week of April. Anyone wishing to comment on the Calabrian
application is asked to do so by April 28, 2016. All comments
received before April 28, 2016, will be considered as part of the
decision-making process by the Ministry if they are submitted in writing
or electronically using the form provided in this notice and reference
EBR Registry number 012-7078, said the government website.The
website also notes that all comments and submissions received will
become part of the public record. Participants will not receive a formal
response to your comment, however; relevant comments received as part of
the public participation process for this proposal will be considered by
the decision maker for this proposal, said the website.
Outotec Awardeda Sulphuric Acid Plant
Contract from Boliden Harjavalta
April
1, 2016 - Outotec Oyj
has agreed with the Sweden-based mining and smelting company Boliden on
the main design and delivery of proprietary equipment for a sulfuric
acid plant to be built in connection with the Harjavalta nickel and
copper smelter in Finland. The order has been booked in Outotec’s 2016
first quarter order intake, the value is not disclosed. The
Boliden Harjavalta plant is one of the largest nickel-copper smelters in
Europe. The new gas-cleaning and sulfuric-acid-plant solutions designed
by Outotec will process off-gas from the smelters into high-grade
industrial sulfuric acid. The plant will meet all of the current and
planned European environmental requirements through innovative gas
cleaning, production of sulfuric acid and highly efficient heat recovery
system. In order to recover as much energy as possible, the heat
recovery system uses the surplus heat of the SO2 converter
and turns it into high-pressure steam. The surplus heat from the drying
and absorption section of the acid plant is converted into hot water and
then supplied to the adjacent power plant for further use. The
first construction phase of the sulfuric acid plant is expected to be
operational in May-June 2018.
Sulphur dioxide levels exceed maximum
limit
March 18, 2016 - The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is investigating
recent spikes in sulphur dioxide gas levels recorded by air monitoring
equipment located behind the Hewletts Rd industrial area in Mount
Maunganui. Pollution prevention manager Nick Zaman said the
monitoring equipment had recorded unacceptably high sulphur dioxide
levels on two occasions in recent weeks. "We know there are a number of
sulphur dioxide sources in the area, which include industrial plants
manufacturing fertilisers and processing chemicals as well as shipping
and train activities." Mr Zaman said the council had asked for
monitoring information from local industries and would treat any
breaches of resource consents conditions "very seriously". The
maximum upper limit set by National Environmental Standards for sulphur
dioxide which must not be exceeded is 570 micrograms per cubic metre of
air over a one hour average. The two verified breaches were above
the upper limits, spiking at 628 and 751 micrograms of sulphur dioxide
per cubic metre over a one hour average on February 27 and March 5
respectively. The Pollution Prevention Hotline had received 19
complaints relating to this area in the past 12 months.
The Mar
Camino solution
March 15, 2016 - Copper concentrate is the raw material used to produce
copper ingots. The copper concentrate also contains sulfur. Dry smelting
performed by smelters in Japan like Saganoseki Smelter and Refinery,
remove the sulfur content as a byproduct and process it into sulfuric
acid. Conversely, the wet smelting (solvent
extraction-electrowinning [SX-EW]) method used to produce copper ingots
produces the copper ingots through an electrolytic process from a leach
solution obtained by dispersing sulfuric acid on copper ore. Typically
this method uses large amounts of sulfuric acid. In Chile, the world’s
number one copper producing country, the consumption of sulfuric acid
can be very large depending on the global demand for copper. To
address this supply & demand equation the Mar Camino (Sea Road) was
launched in 2010 as the world’s only sulfuric acid/copper concentrate
ore (bulk) carrier. The copper concentrate of 30% purity produced
from the copper mines of Chile is stowed in the ship’s hold and then
shipped mainly to the Pan Pacific Copper (PPC) Saganoseki Smelter &
Refinery in Oita Prefecture. The by-product concentrated sulfuric acid
produced in the dry smelting process is loaded in a special-purpose tank
and shipped back to Chile, where it is again used in a smelting process
at the copper mine or sold.With “freight” for the otherwise
empty backhaul, the dual purpose Mar Camino thus reduces logistical
costs.
Technip to provide Dorr
roaster system for KGHM’s Polish copper smelter project
February 16, 2016 -
Technip has been selected to provide its Dorr Oliver FluoSolids roaster
system for Poland-based mining company KGHM's Glogow I copper smelter
optimisation project. The 480t per day system will include the roaster,
dry concentrate feeder and calcine cooler, and in-bed steam coils for
cogeneration of electricity. These components will remove organic
carbon and sulphide sulphur from copper concentrate, reduce smelter
emissions and improve copper production at the site. Under the
contract, Technip will also provide erection supervision, commissioning,
and startup, as well as training assistance to KGHM. Scheduled for
completion in 2017, the project will be carried out by Technip's
operating centre in Claremont, California, US. Technip Stone & Webster
Process Technology president Stan Knez said: "Technip's extensive
experience in roasting technology along with our proven ability to meet
a demanding schedule makes us uniquely qualified for this important
project." The Glogow copper smelter produces cathode copper as well as
silver, gold, and concentrates of platinum group metals. Construction
of the refinery began in 1968 and was commissioned in July 1971.
Production capacity during that period was 160,000t of electrolytic
copper per year. Technip recently installed the system at the Koniambo
Nickel in New Caledonia and Vale's Copper Cliff smelter in Ontario,
Canada.
Gecko’s Big Ambitions
February
16, 2016 - Gecko Namibia plans to establish the industrial park at Mile
16 between Swakopmund and Wlotzkasbaken. In August 2012, Cabinet decided
to allocate 700 hectares of land to Gecko Namibia for the envisaged
Vision Industrial Park (VIP). However, the 99-year lease agreement has
not been signed yet. “The contract draft was submitted to the government
for review and we await feedback,” said Pine van Wyk, MD of the Gecko
Group. “The VIP chemical projects are dependent on a large uranium
industry of at least four running mines. The Fukushima event caused
delays in this development with Areva on care and maintenance and still
a very low uranium price,” Van Wyk said. The industrial park entails a
port, a desalination plant, a sulphuric acid plant, a soda ash and
bicarbonate soda plant and a caustic soda and phosphoric acid plant.
Another subsidiary, Gecko Chemicals, will be the holding company of the
chemical factories planned for the Vision Industrial Park. The uranium
mining industry in Namibia currently imports all reagent chemicals
required for leaching processes. Gecko intends producing sulphuric acid
at its VIP plant from imported materials. Dundee Precious Metals
recently constructed its own sulphuric acid plant and will become the
first producer and supplier of sulphuric acid in Namibia. Dundee will
supply Rössing Uranium with sulphuric acid and also the Tschudi copper
mine near Tsumeb. Gecko’s intended acid plant will mainly supply its
envisaged phosphate project, as well as uranium mines. Langer Heinrich
Uranium (LHU) makes use of the alkaline leach process. It requires large
quantities of soda ash, sodium bicarbonate and caustic soda as reagents.
All of these chemicals are presently imported. Manufacturing of these
chemicals can be achieved by using local raw materials such as sea salt
and marble, according to Gecko.
Abuse of dominant position –
commission issues statement of objection
February 11, 2106 - In November 2015 the Competition Protection
Commission issued a statement of objection against Aurubis Bulgaria AD
and Aurubis AG. Based on its preliminary findings, the commission
accused Aurubis of abuse of its dominant position in the Bulgarian
market for the production and sale of sulphuric acid. The commission
accused Aurubis of selling the acid at unjustifiably high prices and
thereby discriminating against its Bulgarian customers in favour of
international clients. The commission began its investigation in
2013 following a claim brought by Agropolychim AD against Aurubis for
abusing its dominant position as a sulphuric acid producer, and against
Aurubis and KCM AD (Plovdiv) – a leading producer of non-ferrous and
precious metals in Southeast Europe and the Black Sea Region – for
concerted practices aimed at sharing the markets for the sale of
sulphuric acid. At the beginning of the investigation the
commission conducted a dawn raid at Aurubis' offices in Pirdop. During
the raid, the commission seized electronic, digital and forensic
evidence from computer hard drives. Aurubis objected that copies of
certain emails between the company and its external lawyers should not
be reviewed by the commission as relevant evidence because they were
subject to legal privilege. Thus, the commission had no right to request
non-confidential versions of the emails to be submitted. Nevertheless,
the commission issued a ruling by which, among other things, it accepted
that the emails were business secrets and Aurubis was obliged to provide
the commission with non-confidential versions in order to assess whether
they were privileged. Aurubis objected to the ruling before the Supreme
Administrative Court. The appeal was considered impermissible
because it was brought against an act of the commission, which alone
could not be appealed before the court. According to the court, the
commission's ruling, that certain information provided by the parties to
the investigation did not qualify as a business secret, could be
appealed separately. However, the court concluded that the commission's
assessment of whether the evidence was relevant to the investigation and
whether it was privileged could be appealed as part of the commission's
final decision only. The investigation is in its second phase.
Aurubis can oppose the statement of objection and propose commitments,
and has the right to be heard by the commission in an open hearing
session. No time limit is envisaged for completion of the investigation.
King Mohammed VI Inaugurates MAD 6.1 billion OCP Projects
February 1, 2016 - King Mohammed VI inaugurated, Monday at the Jorf
Lasfar industrial complex, a fertilizer plant dedicated to the African
Market (Africa Fertilizer Complex) and the first stage of a seawater
desalination plant for an overall budget of 6.1 billion dirhams.
Initiated by Morocco’s Office Cherifien de Phosphate (OCP), these
large-scale projects represent a new embodiment of the Sovereign’s
commitment to south-south cooperation, and his will to support OCP
innovation and sustainable development initiatives, accompany its
industrial strategy and consolidate Morocco’s leadership in the global
phosphates market. Africa fertilizer Complex, which was achieved
upon the instructions of King Mohammed IV, aims to accompany the growth
of African markets through continued and regular supply of fertilizers
(DAP/MAP/NPK). The new plant, which required a budget of 5.3
billion dirhams, consists of a Sulfuric acid plant (1.4 million tons per
year), a phosphoric acid plant (450.000 tons per year), a fertilizer
plant (one million tons of DAP per year), and a 62-megawatt solar
station, and up to 200,000 tons of fertilizers storage infrastructure.
This mega project encourages technological and environmental innovation
in sulfuric acid production through a 10 MW electric energy gain and an
important reduction in seawater consumption. The sulfur dioxide (SO2)
waste was reduced three times compared to international norms. The
seawater desalination plant, which is part of OCP’s “Water” strategy,
aims to meet the additional needs created by the development of
Khouribga-Jorf Lasfar platform without additional demand for
conventional water. The plant, which will be built in three
stages, will reach an annual production of 75 million cubic meters.
These infrastructure projects reaffirm Morocco’s willingness to build
efficient, productive and credible relations with African countries.
They will enable Morocco to have smart leadership on world phosphate
market based on the parameters of productivity, profitability and more
importantly, sustainability.
