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| Sulphuric Acid on the WebTM | Technical Manual | DKL Engineering, Inc. |
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Knowledge for the
Sulphuric Acid Industry Introduction |
SANTIAGO, Chile, December 9, 2006 - Union workers at Chile's Altonorte copper smelter, owned by Xstrata Plc, voted on Saturday to strike, rejecting a contract and wage deal from the company, union president Isidro Cabrera said. The union's contract expires on Tuesday but the two sides could avert a strike if they request government mediation, which would give them five more days to negotiate a new deal. "They have 48 hours to request government mediation. We'll be talking to them on Monday," Cabrera said. A strike at Altonorte would be the latest in the sector as copper workers around the world seek a larger slice of soaring company profits with prices for the red metal nearly five times what they were in 2003.
The £60m gas terminal at Rampside is about to begin working again — having stood unused for 14 months October 1, 2006 - A NEW £60m gas terminal at Rampside, which has stood unused for 14 months because of faults, will finally start up next month. Burlington Resources, of Texas, had its new Rivers gas terminal built next to South and North Morecambe Centrica gas terminals at Rampside, to take gas from five new fields in the Irish Sea. But it was shut down in December 2004, soon after operations started up, because of faults. Recent claims were made to the Evening Mail that the terminal — which removes lethal hydrogen sulphide from gas taken from the new Rivers fields and turns it into saleable sulphuric acid — would be inoperative for many more months. But speaking from Texas, Burlington Resources spokesman James Bartlett said: “Our best estimate is that the Rivers Plant will resume natural gas processing operations in February.” Claims the company was going to rip out and replace parts of the acid plant were also dismissed. Mr Bartlett said: “Your information on the status of the acid-handling portion of the plant is inaccurate. “It may have been prompted by the fact that we considered installing a second acid concentration column in parallel with the existing column, but have decided that a second column is unnecessary at this time. “However, such an installation remains an option for the future, since it would improve long-term efficiency and run-times." Former Valero Employees File Suit November 14, 2006 - Two workers who said they were injured in a sulfuric acid release at the Valero Refinery last month are suing both the refinery and a subcontractor. The suit charges Valero did not properly train workers or maintain equipment. It also claims that subcontractor JV Industries tried to keep employees from making worker’s compensation claims. GenTek Closing Newark Plant November 3, 2006, Newark, New Jersey - GenTek Inc., a chemical company, said Friday it is closing its Newark, N.J., sulfuric acid production plant at the end of this year. The production and shipment of other products, aluminum sulfate and ferric sulfate, currently being sold from the New Jersey location will continue without any interruptions. The company did not disclose how many, if any, workers would be laid off as a result of the plant closure. 'GenTek`s decision was driven by the fact that the Newark Sulfur operation, already cash flow negative, was facing increasingly adverse market conditions and required infrastructure investments, which would have led to material cash losses in this business,' the company said in a statement. Fertiliser Company Fined $37,000 for Discharging Gas October 24, 2006 - New Zealand - The Environment Court has fined the Ravensdown Fertiliser Company $37,000 for discharging sulphur dioxide gas, which led to people suffering breathing difficulties. The court heard that on two occasions last year, the company's plant at Awatoto near Napier discharged quantities of sulphur dioxide gas. Prosecutor Jo Riley says on the first occasion in June, six people who were sitting on the beach across the road from the plant suffered breathing difficulties and had to receive medical attention. In August, two people working on a nearby rural property were also affected by sulphur dioxide. Judge Craig Thompson ordered that in addition to the fine for breaches of the Resource Management Act, the company must pay each of the eight victims $1,000. MFRI Receives an $8 million Order
for Sulfur Transportation Pipeline Kemira GrowHow, Fortum to Spend 17 million Euro on Raising Sulphuric Acid Output HELSINKI (AFX) - Kemira GrowHow said it and utility Fortum are to
invest about 17 mln eur on increasing the production of sulphuric acid and energy at the
former's Siilinarvi plant. Under the agreement, Fortum
will build a sulphur burning plant on the site, which will provide the raw materials for
Kemira GrowHow's sulphuric acid production. Fortum will
meanwhile harness the heat generated in the process to produce electricity. Chinese factory managers detained over toxic river spill September 11, 2006 - Beijing - The senior managers of two factories in central China blamed for tainting a river with toxic arsenide have been detained and could face criminal charges. Last week, high levels of arsenide poison were found in Hunan province's Xinqiang River, forcing authorities to cut off drinking water for 80,000 people in the area. No one was reported sickened. Haoyuan Chemical Company, a sulphuric acid manufacturer in Hunan's Linxiang City, and Taolin Lead-Zinc Ore Chemical Plant, both in the upper reaches of the river, were the major polluters. Pan Yue, SEPA's deputy director, promised harsh penalties for the enterprises and told Xinhua that the top managers may face criminal punishment. It said the two factories were discharging waste water with arsenide content more than 1,000 times higher than the national standard directly into Xinqiang River. Haoyuan Chemical Company discharged nearly 50,000 tons of waste water every month, and Taolin Lead-Zinc Ore Chemical Plant 280 tons. The two companies had not passed any environmental assessments and had no pollution treatment facilities. DuPont starts building Texas facility August 10, 2006 - DuPont Co. is building a facility at
Western Refining Inc.'s refinery in El Paso, Texas to recycle spent sulfuric acid and
convert sulfur gases to sulfuric acid. The new unit will be owned and operated by DuPont under a commercial agreement. It is the first sulfuric acid regeneration facility of its kind in the southwestern United States. The project will allow more efficient management of sulfur processing at the refinery, and enables the plant's two processing lines to recycle and reuse sulfur gases and spent sulfuric acid from the petroleum refining process. The project will improve the competitiveness of Western Refining by allowing the refinery to use more "sour crude" oil. This is DuPont's third sulfuric acid regeneration facility at refinery. The others are at the Valero Energy refinery in Delaware City and at the ConocoPhillips refinery in Linden, N.J. Man sues over industrial injuries Jul 27, 2006 - A North Codorus Township man who was sprayed with acid while unloading a railroad car is suing the Ohio company that sent the car. David Roth and his wife, Betsy, recently filed the suit in U.S. Middle District Court in Harrisburg recently. They claim NorFalco, which has headquarters in Independence, Ohio, knew, or should have known, its rail cars that contained acid were "ultra hazardous, dangerous, and defective" because they didn't contain gauges indicating pressure in the cars or valves that would prevent acid from spraying on workers. The suit states that NorFalco never warned Roth or his employer of the hazardous and dangerous nature of the distribution of the product or the defect in the rail cars. Furthermore, according to the suit, NorFalco did not provide protective clothing, instruct them in the proper way to unload the car or provide appropriate safety information and equipment. According to the suit, Roth, who was employed by Glatfelter on Aug. 13, 2004, was assigned to remove a hose from a tank car sent to the paper mill by NorFalco. Removing the acid from the tank car required pressurizing the tank car and placing a hose on a pipe through which the acid will flow, the document states. When Roth removed the hose, large amounts of acid sprayed out and burned him, according to the suit. Roth suffered bodily injury, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, the suit states. He also accumulated medical expenses and lost earnings and no longer has the ability to earn. The Roths, of the 5500 block of Stambaugh Road, are seeking unspecified damages and have requested a jury trial Phelps Dodge gets last permit to build new copper mine July 11, 2006 - Phelps Dodge Corp. has obtained the final permit for plans to build a new copper mine about nine miles northeast of Safford. The air quality permit from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality clears the way for a $550 million construction project for a mine that will be able to produce 120,000 tons of copper a year by the second half of 2008. The anticipated Safford production would yield $880 million a year at Monday's spot closing price of $3.67 a pound. Officials with Phoenix-based Phelps Dodge said up to 1,000 construction workers will be needed at the peak of the building project in mid-2007 and about 400 full-time workers and 100 more contract workers will operate the mine and processing plants. The new mine will put Dos Pobres and San Juan, two copper deposits identified decades ago, into open-pit production after years of effort to get regulatory clearance. The Safford project will use the low-cost solvent-extraction/electrowinning process that uses acidic solutions to draw copper from mountains of crushed ore. The process produces nearly pure copper cathodes on site without the need for smelting or refining. ADEQ said the permit regulates emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and sulfuric acid mist from the mine and the associated mineral crusher, extraction facility and leach pad. The Phelps Dodge flagship mine at Morenci, 45 miles northeast of Safford, produces 850 million pounds of copper a year. It is the biggest copper producer in North America and the largest SX/EW copper production site in the world. Australian Seafarers Protest Loss of Jobs July 2006 - Thirty-six seafarers employed on the chemical carrier MT Stolt Australia who were facing the sack won a victory on July 14, when their employer signed a memorandum of understanding with the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA). On July 7 the ship’s owners announced their plan to sail it to Singapore, sack the crew, and re-flag the Stolt Australia in the Cayman Islands tax haven. This would have created a “flag of convenience” (FoC) vessel, which meant the owners could employ a Third World crew paid as little as $100 a week. The 18 crew members on board at the time risked $6000 fines and 12 months’ jail by refusing to sail the vessel, keeping it tied up with its load of sulphuric acid at the Zinfex zinc smelter wharf in Hobart. During the course of the dispute, a support protest sprang up on the wharf, and on July 11 a rally was held outside Stolt NYK’s Melbourne headquarters. The combined pressure brought the company to the table, and it agreed to redeploy the crew to other Stolt vessels and negotiate the introduction of an alternative chemical tanker. Stolt NYK claimed that the vessel was no longer required to work the Australian coast, however the MUA had good reason to be suspicious of this claim. Under the Navigation Act, cargo carried from one Australian port to another is supposed to be carried by Australian-flagged vessels. But shipping bosses can get around this requirement by claiming that there are no appropriate vessels available and applying for an exemption (called single and continuous voyage permits). Earlier they allowed sulphuric acid from the Zinifex zinc smelter to be loaded onto the vessel on Monday to allow the smelter to continue operating and alleviate pressure on smelter workers. Zinifex had said the smelter would be forced to shut down after 48 hours if the acid was left to stockpile on the docks. Topsoe to Supply WSA Plant to Mittal Steel Krivyi Rih, Ukraine Topsoe has recently concluded a supply contract with
Krivorozhstal Steel Plant (now - Mittal Steel Krivyi Rih), Krivyi Rih, Ukraine, concerning
a plant for production of 212 MTPD sulphuric acid from the H2S containing waste gases
coming from the coke production in the steel plant. The plant is scheduled to start
operation in 2006. This will be the third sulphuric acid plant of Topsoe's proprietary WSA
(Wet gas Sulphuric Acid) technology, supplied to Ukraine. Acid-burned Truck Driver Seeks Damages June 05, 2006 - A truck driver who was burned by a spray of sulfuric acid is suing G.S. Robins & Co. in St. Clair County Circuit Court. According to the complaint filed May 26, the incident took place March 3 at an unloading station at 800 South Sixth St. in East St. Louis. "Defendant, by and through its employees, opened the valve used for the transfer of sulfuric acid too quickly, causing the valve to be overpressurized and thereby causing the hose to come out of the trailer spraying sulfuric acid on plaintiff," the complaint states. Gerald J. Roth, Jr. claims he was seriously burned and suffered permanent scarring to his face. Represented by Robert J. Radice of Horas & Radice in St. Louis, Roth is seeking in excess of $50,000 in damages. He also claims the station did not have a safety shower on the loading dock which precluded him from immediately washing himself. Honeywell Refinery Initiatives Target
Corrosion Honeywell (NYSE:HON) today announced two new
corrosion research programs that will help refineries increase the production of alkylates
for high-octane gasoline and maximise production per barrel of crude oil, particularly
cheaper but highly corrosive “opportunity” crudes. Joint Industry Programs
are target research programs sponsored by companies in the refining industry to address
common industry corrosion issues. Previous Joint Industry Programs have been
extremely successful, producing new levels of understanding and knowledge on corrosion
issues. Finnish firm (Outokumpu) to build sulphuric acid complex in Saudi May 2, 2006 - Finnish steelmaker Outokumpu
signed a contract yesterday to build the world’s biggest sulphuric acid complex worth
$240m for Saudi mining firm Maaden, which will use it to produce fertiliser for export.
The deal to build three plants is part of a project announced by Maaden last year
to create a mineral production and export zone at Ras al-Zour in eastern Saudi Arabia in a
major drive to diversity Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy. The zone will
also process bauxite and phosphate from mines in northern Saudi Arabia and include an
ammonia plant, alumina refinery and six plants producing sulphuric and phosphoric acid. “This is the first major contract for our phosphate project,
which we will develop for feeding the people of the world. It’s our ambition that
Saudi Arabia become a major supplier of phosphatic and fertilisers,” Maaden head
Abdullah Dabbagh said at the signing ceremony. Maaden will transport phosphate concentrate from its Hazm
al-Jalamid mine in north Saudi Arabia to Ras al-Zour, where it will be mixed with
sulphuric acid to produce phosphoric acid, which is then mixed with ammonia to produce
fertiliser. The complex will come on line in 2009, a Maaden official said. It will
produce 13,500 tonnes a day of sulphuric acid, making it the largest facility of its kind
in the world, a joint statement said. Mosaic Announces Restructuring of Phosphates Business May 2, 2006 - PLYMOUTH, Minn. - The Mosaic Company announced
today plans to close indefinitely its South Pierce and Green Bay phosphate fertilizer
production plants and Fort Green phosphate mine in central Florida. The three facilities
affected by Mosaic's restructuring actions, which rank as Mosaic's highest cost Florida
operations, will cease production at the end of May 2006. The restructuring of
Mosaic's phosphate business is expected to generate cost reduction benefits by allowing it
to maximize production at its most efficient phosphate operations. Mosaic anticipates that
the restructuring actions will result in lower raw material and operating costs, reduced
capital expenditures and improved cash flow beginning in fiscal 2007. Mosaic estimates
that the closure of the facilities on an indefinite basis will result in an after-tax
earnings charge in the range of $300 to $400 million during its fiscal 2006 fourth
quarter, the majority of which will be a non-cash asset-related charge. Total cash
expenditures related to the phosphate restructuring activities are estimated to range
between $55 and $65 million in fiscal 2007, which is approximately equivalent to the
capital expenditures that will become unnecessary as a result of the restructuring. Phelps Dodge scraps plans for sulfur
facility April 10, 2006 - Phelps Dodge Mining Company
has stopped plans for two facilities that would process sulfur to sulfuric acid for use at
the Safford Mine. The transload facility in Pima, where train cars would have
dropped off containers of elemental sulfur, and the facility at the mine site that would
convert the sulfur into sulfuric acid are no longer part of the mine scope. Kelheim Fibres GmbH Implements Topsoe
WSA Technology for Environmental Protection of Viscose Staple Fibre Production April 10, 2006 - One of Europe's leading
viscose staple fibre producers, Kelheim Fibres GmbH in Bavaria, Germany, has decided to
implement Topsoe's WSA technology for upgrading their off-gas treatment system. The WSA
plant will eliminate hydrogen sulphide and carbon disulphide contained in the off-gases by
converting these sulphur compounds into sulphuric acid. The off-gas volume treated is
30,000 Nm³/h, and 200 ton/day of acid is recovered. Sulphuric acid is a material
used in the production of viscose fibres, so in addition to the environmental effect, the
recovery of sulphuric acid will entail considerable savings. The WSA plant is very energy
efficient, and excess heat of reaction from the process is recovered in the form of high
pressure superheated steam. The steam will be used in Kelheim Fibres' power station, thus
reducing fuel consumption to the benefit of both the economy and the environment.
The WSA plant at Kelheim Fibres GmbH will be implemented by Lenzing Technik GmbH, Austria,
acting as main contractor. Topsoe is supplying all equipment and catalyst for the WSA
process plant, and Lenzing Technik GmbH is responsible for various off-site installations,
tie-in and erection. The WSA process is a versatile and energy efficient process for
converting sulphur compounds in off-gases into sulphuric acid. More than 50 WSA plants
have been implemented or are under construction worldwide be Topsoe, and four of these are
for the viscose fibre industry. Tuticorin Smelter J.R. Simplot Plans to Increase Production Former Rhodia worker receives $4.2 million judgment for
injuries March 18, 2006 - A former Rhodia worker, who claims he was
exposed to sulfur dioxide and other dangerous chemicals while on the job in 2000, was
awarded $4.2 million by an East Baton Rouge Parish jury late Thursday. Larry Adams,
58, who had been a worker at Rhodia for 28 years, claims he was severely injured when the
dangerous substances were released from a tank. Adams sued Rhodia, ExxonMobil and the
manufacturer of a seal from a tank involved in the release, Protectoseal. Before
trial, Adams agreed to a confidential settlement with Rhodia and Protectoseal, Aidan
Reynolds said. Reynolds and Chris Whittington represented Adams during the three-day trial
that began Tuesday before state District Judge Janice Clark. Copper smelter Cumerio Med to triple outputMarch 16, 2006 - Cumerio Med, the Pirdop-based smelter owned by Belgian copper producer Cumerio, will triple copper cathode output to 180,000 tons over the next 3 years, Cumerio Med executive director Tom Beamish told Dnevnik. The boost will come after the completion of a new production capacity. In addition to new output capacity, the 82 million euro investment spend also includes the cost of eco facilities. The company will assemble on a 5.6 ha site waste disposal and treatment facilities in addition to overhauling the run-off piping. Cumerio bought the Pirdop smelter in 1997 and has so far pumped $240 mln in the core production and environment protection. Cumerio Med produced 235,000 tons of copper anodes and 55,000 tons of cathodes in 2005 and 830,000 tons of sulphuric acid. Boliden Commercial AB Live on Time and within Budget with Intentia Supply Chain Planner Stockholm, Sweden - March 13, 2006 - Intentia announces that
Boliden Commercial AB has recently gone live successfully with Intentia Supply Chain
Planner. The solution is used to support and optimize the strategic planning and delivery
of sulphur products from Boliden´s four production sites in Scandinavia to international
markets. For a company that exports sulphuric acid around the world, the optimization of
customer deliveries is expected to result in significant cost savings. For Boliden
Commercial AB, part of the Boliden Group and a leading mining and smelting company,
freight is a major cost. When the company realized that it would reap financial benefits
from improved transportation planning, it selected and implemented Intentia Supply Chain
Planner. "Sulphur products are above all a logistics business, and we bear a
great responsibility for keeping the product on the move at all times. Supply Chain
Planner is a key tool for us," says Boliden´s Janne Lovén, the vice president of
sulphur products. February 26, 2006 - VERKHNYAYA PYSHMA, Russia (RNWire) - The Ural Mining and Metal Group (UGMK), one of Russia’s most important integrated metals producers, today reports its purchase of 229 tank cars for the transport of sulfuric acid produced by its plants. The supplier is Uralvagonzavod Federal Unitary Enterprise which won a UGMK tender to supply the rail cars for a total sum of RUR304.15 million. Copper Complex to Open February 25, 2006 - Lao Cai - The Sin Quyen Copper Complex in northern Lao Cai province will start operation later this year, according to the Viet Nam Coal and Mineral Industries Group. Work is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2006, with construction of mines and metallurgy factories already well underway by the Viet Nam Industrial Construction General Corporation, the complex’s chief contractor, and other sub-contractors. The Complex will be capable of processing 1.1 to 1.2 million tonnes of copper ore per year, in order to produce nearly 42,000 tonnes of pure ore, over 113,000 tonnes of pure iron ore and nearly 20,000 tonnes of pure pyrite ore. Other by-products at the complex will include gold, silver and sulphuric acid. The total capital investment of the project is nearly VND1.3 trillion. Landfill Gas Project Going to Cytec February 16, 2006 - Keying off similar projects in Baton Rouge and Shreveport, Cytec Industries’ chemical manufacturing facility in Waggaman will begin using methane gas generated from waste at the Jefferson Parish Landfill as a renewable energy source for its Sulfuric Acid Regen plant. Renovar Energy of Midland, Texas, designed all three projects in Louisiana. Ten years ago, Jefferson Parish began investing $1.5 million in a system designed to capture landfill gas, which is comprised of 50 percent methane and 50 percent carbon dioxide. Renovar Energy approached Cytec in 2000 with a proposal for the landfill project. Renovar designed and constructed a gas compressor system and the four-mile pipeline that transfers the gas from the Jefferson Parish Landfill to Cytec’s Sulfuric Acid Regen plant. The landfill gas will be used as an alternative fuel source to highly priced natural gas. PVS Chemicals to supply Air Products Europe with of high purity sulphuric acid February 13, 2006 - Air Products and PVS Chemicals Belgium NV have signed an agreement for the supply of high purity sulphuric acid to the European electronics market. PVS Chemicals recently began production of ultra-pure sulphuric acid at its site in Gent, Belgium. The Belgian location is well positioned to serve customers throughout continental Europe. The new plant is supported by a new clean room laboratory, which enables a full service offering. The plant has the production capacity to meet a significant portion of the growing market demand.PVS brings 20 years experience of producing high purity sulphuric acid for the semiconductor industry together with a new state of the art facility, located in Belgium," stated Simon Earnshaw, General Manager, Air Products Electronics Europe. "It will provide cost effective supply chain solutions for both bulk and packaged materials... Air Products' experience in handling and delivering products and services to the microelectronics industry combined with PVS's technical ability to produce high purity sulphuric acid will support customers' requirements in terms of quality, packaging solutions, delivery and cost of ownership." Fertilizer plant resumes some
production in Pascagoula February 3, 2006 - PASCAGOULA, Miss. -
Mississippi Phosphates Corp. has resumed production at one of its sulfuric acid plants
shut down since Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29. Korean Zinc Company sells Big River
Zinc January 31, 2006 - The world's largest zinc
smelter has agreed to sell its idled Big River Zinc Corp. refinery in Sauget to a buyer
who plans to re-open it in April. Seoul-based Korea Zinc Co., the plant's owner
since 1996, hasn't disclosed the name of the buyer. Two months ago, the plans were
to shutter Big River Zinc by early February because of surging raw-materials costs. David Masotti Appointed President & Chief Operating Officer of Chemtrade Logistics TORONTO, January 18, 2006 - Mark Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund (TSX: CHE.UN) announced today that David Masotti has been appointed President & Chief Operating Officer of Chemtrade, effective January 23, 2006. Mr. Masotti was most recently resident of Rogers Telecom Inc., prior to which he held senior management positions, including those of president and CEO in a variety of industrial and logistics companies. Mr. Masotti holds a professional engineering degree from Queen's University and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University.Mr. Davis said, "David brings a wealth of operations experience to Chemtrade, including business integrations and a successful track record of achieving growth and performance improvement through leadership, team-building, strategic focus and operational excellence. These are qualities that are perfectly suited to Chemtrade's increased scale, diversity and complexity of operations." Mr. Masotti replaces Claudio D'Ambrosio who is currently on medical leave. Mr. Davis said Mr. D'Ambrosio will not rejoin Chemtrade full time but will be available as a consultant when his health permits. Japanese Copper Firms to Buy Transport Ship for US$39 million January 17, 2006 - Nippon Mining & Metals Co. and Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., which integrated copper refining operations, will invest in a new ship to transport copper concentrate, an intermediary copper material. The companies will invest about 4.5 billion yen (US$39 million) to add a new ship in the summer of 2008. With the vessel, the companies will increase their annual transport volume of copper concentrate and related material to 215,000 tons, which is up about 63 per cent from the present amount. The vessel will transport copper concentrate from Chile to Japan and South Korea and will export sulphuric acid, a byproduct of copper refining, from Japan to Chile.
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