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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 |
2009 First Quantum to spend $120m on reopening Ravensthorpe December 9, 2009 - Quantum Minerals will spend about $120-million in capital expenditure (capex) to bring the Ravensthorpe nickel operation in Western Australia back into production and to ramp up the operation’s production. Chairperson and CEO Philip Pascall said in a conference call that the company had made provision to spend about $140-million on the project, thus allowing it to have $20-million of contingency funding available for the project. BHP Billiton, which had shut down the Ravensthorpe mine in early January owing to low nickel prices, which it said made the operation unprofitable, on Tuesday announced that it would sell the operation to First Quantum for $340-million. Ravensthorpe is an open pit mine and hydrometallurgical process plant used to recover nickel and cobalt to produce a mixed nickel cobalt hydroxide intermediate product. Pascall said that the acquisition reflected First Quantum’s clear strategy of diversifying its commodity profile and its geographical footprint. It was currently mainly a producer of copper cathode, copper in concentrate, gold and sulphuric acid in a number of African countries. Pascall noted that when the Australian operation first became available for sale, the company had been wary of the project, given its hasty closure. However, the mining firm had found that the main plant was in “an excellent condition”, he stated, adding that it had been one of the “best mothballed plants” the company had ever seen. There were, however, some technical challenges, mainly related to the front end of the plant, which along with the financial challenges faced by BHP, had led to the closure of the operation. Nevertheless, Pascall was confident that First Quantum had the capability to overcome these technical challenges, saying that some of its other projects in Africa were a lot more complex to develop. It would make a number of changes to the front end of the plant and some smaller changes in some other areas of the operation. He also noted that, owing to its size, relative to that of
BHP, it did not face all the constraints that the management of the operation previously
had. Pascall said that, for example, the previous management had come up with a
number of ideas on how to improve the plant’s performance, but getting the required
authority to implement such changes had lengthened the timelines of the project.
Further, Pascall expected to be able to reduce the costs of production by introducing the
changes to the plant, which would allow the mine to become more profitable. He said
that First Quantum had put a lot of effort into understanding the nickel market before
deciding to buy the Australian operation. Xstrata to shut Timmins smelter December 7, 2009 - Xstrata Copper Canada plans to permanently close
its Kidd metallurgical copper and zinc plants in Timmins, Ont., with the loss of 670 jobs.
The shutdown is planned for May 1, 2010, in a rationalization of the company's
Canadian metallurgical operations. The metals company, which was called Falconbridge
before it was acquired by Swiss-based Xstrata PLC, said the Kidd mine and concentrator
will remain in operation. Xstrata cited several underlying global factors for the
decision, including poor market demand and a strong Canadian dollar. Ben Lefebvre,
the chair of Canadian Auto Workers Local 599, called it a “devastating blow” to
the union's members, “particularly at this time of year.” He added that
hundreds of other jobs will be affected in Timmins and the surrounding communities.
“You can rest assured that we are not going to sit idly by and let this happen
without a fight,” Mr. Lefebvre said in a statement. “The federal
government agreed to the takeover of Falconbridge by this foreign multi-national based on
the fact that the deal would prove to be a net economic benefit to this country,” Mr.
Lefebvre said. “Obviously that is not the case.” Xstrata said eligible
employees will be offered early retirement incentives and where possible, the company will
try to offer work for employees at its other operations. “Global smelting
overcapacity is driving treatment and refining charges to record lows while the costs to
operate and maintain these facilities continue to increase,” Claude Ferron, chief
operating officer, said in a release. “Our situation in Canada is exacerbated
by a strengthening Canadian dollar. The requirement for further capital investment in
these plants and lower sale prices for some byproducts, including sulphuric acid, have
also negatively impacted the viability of these operations.” American Securities Completes Its Acquisition of GenTek, Inc. October 29, 2009 - American Securities LLC, a New York-based private equity firm, today announces that it has completed its acquisition of GenTek, Inc., a Parsippany, New Jersey-based provider of specialty inorganic chemical products and valve actuation systems and components for automotive and heavy duty/commercial engines. Equity was provided by American Securities Partners V, L.P., a $2.3 billion private equity partnership. GenTek operates through two business segments: performance chemicals and valve actuation systems. The performance chemicals segment provides: (1) water treatment products, primarily used by municipalities, (2) various grades of sulfuric acid as well as sulfuric acid regeneration services for the refining and chemical industries, (3) ingredients used in prescription pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements and veterinary health products, and (4) high purity electronic chemicals. The valve actuation segment provides performance-critical valve train components for a full range of gas and diesel engines. GenTek operates over 50 manufacturing facilities and technical centers and has approximately 1,100 employees. In commenting on the transaction, Matthew F. LeBaron, a managing director of American Securities, said, “We are delighted to have closed this investment and to begin our partnership with GenTek’s management team. GenTek's specialty chemicals business has a leading position in the markets it serves, and its automotive valve business is well-positioned to grow. We are looking forward to working with GenTek's management team to continue to build the business.” William E. Redmond, Jr., GenTek’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are pleased to have completed this transaction with American Securities and look forward to the next stage of GenTek’s development. We are excited to continue to grow and improve our company with American Securities’ support.” Serbia will invest 160 million euros in RTB Bor copper through Canadian financing October 19, 2009 - Serbia will invest 160
million euros in RTB Bor copper through Canadian financing, Economy Minister Mladjan
Dinkic said. "135 million euros will be invested in a new smelter and
sulfuric acid plant, which should be built in two to three years. The rest of the money is
going to be used for the purchase of mining equipment," Dinkic told reporters.
"We had talks with the Canadian Agency for Export Insurance (www.edc.ca) and they
offered us a loan on favorable terms. So we will have that 160 million euros from
Canada." The state will retain ownership of RTB Bor for some time and continue
investments as the price of copper on world markets has increased, the minister added.
Serbia tried three times to privatize the company but each attempt was canceled due
to violation of the agreement or withdrawal by interested parties. Sulphuric acid plant for Phikwe
under consideration October 19, 2009 - BCL Mine and other
development partners are mulling over the feasibility of establishing a P1.9 billion
sulphuric acid plant, which experts say will not only solve the long-running concern of
high sulphur emissions from the mine, but will also develop a commercially viable industry
in line with the town's economic diversification. In their preliminary
assessments, experts engaged by the European Union for a Cleaner Concentrate and Emission
Control Study recently said that a plant to convert sulphur dioxide emissions into
commercially profitable sulphuric acid was the most appropriate solution for Selebi-Phikwe
and BCL's pollution concerns. Addressing European Union delegates last week, BCL
general manager Montwedi Mphathi acknowledged that a sulphuric acid plant was the most
ideal solution for sulphur emissions, environmental conservation and profitability. He
however, reiterated his previously stated concerns about the challenges of developing such
a plant. "A sulphuric acid plant has been the best idea, but the cost of such
an operation has been the problem," Mphathi said. "It would be very helpful for
us if we had our market just outside the gates of such a plant because transport of
sulphuric acid is another great challenge." BCL Mine will be hoping its
fruitful cooperation with the EU over the years will enable related institutions such as
the European Investment Bank (EIB) to partner with it in environmental interventions,
including the development of the sulphuric acid plant. "Our partnership with
the EU may be coming to an end, but we hope for some assistance from the EIB,"
Mphathi said. "Perhaps the EIB could be persuaded to help us do something about the
environment, granting us favourable rates and conditions." Those in favour of the sulphuric acid
plant hope that the government, development and lending institution and other partners
could be persuaded to invest in the sulphuric acid plant, looking at the end-product's
high viability in the regional market. Sten Johansson, a consultant involved in the
Cleaner Concentrate and Emission Control Study, said the cost of developing an appropriate
sulphuric acid plant for BCL Mine would be approximately US$290 million (P1.9 billion).
"The cost of this plant in 'Phikwe would be US$140 million (P915
million)," Johansson said. "This would be equivalent to catching 2,400 tonnes of
sulphuric acid a day. Infrastructural investment for the plant would be in the
region of US$150 million (P981 million). This would include railway tracks, a turn-in and
out, ten locomotives and associated works." Based on prevailing project
economics, the proposed plant's operating cost would be US$30 per tonne (P196 per tonne),
while transport to the envisaged target market, South Africa, would cost US$20 per tonne
(P131 per tonne). The key to overcoming the difficult project economics would be for
the plant's developers to secure lucrative markets and purchase agreements both locally
and regionally. Supply of the sulphur dioxide for conversion in the plant is unlikely to
be a problem, given that BCL produces 534, 000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide per year.
Most of the sulphur dioxide is from the smelter, while other sources include the mine's
converter. Johansson said there was a "well proven" viability for sulphuric acid
as a commodity and that the acid was neither toxic nor explosive.
"Opportunities from this plant include getting the sulphuric acid to markets like
African Copper, Tati Nickel, South Africa and Namibia, the latter being via the envisaged
Trans-Kahalari Railway," he said. "The plant could also supply downstream
industries and lead to the establishment of industries such as fertiliser production in
Botswana, which would be a big opportunity for economic diversification in the
country." Another great opportunity for the sulphuric plant's developers would be to supply
the country's various mines, which use sulphuric acid in ore processing. The
consultant said the research team had recommended that BCL Mine be the principal developer
of the plant and should appoint a project manager for it. He explained that the project
manager would then be required to supervise a Bankable Feasibility Study and identify the
Terms of Reference for the project. "It should be appreciated that this plant
would be an environmental project and not strictly about making money," he added.
Mphathi said that such studies would enable the mine to make the right decisions
about the environment. When the mine was established, it used coal to reduce sulphur
emissions, but this system was ultimately abandoned as it was too dangerous. Since then,
the mine has installed and employed various systems and machinery to reduce sulphur
emissions as well as their potential hazardous effects on the town's human population and
the environment. Worldwide, sulphuric acid is among the top products of the
chemicals industry. The commodity has spawned a multi-billion dollar industry with
principal uses including lead-acid batteries for cars, ore processing, fertiliser
manufacturing, oil refining, wastewater processing and chemical synthesis. Southern States Ground Breaking September 10, 2009 - After six years of site searching,
negations, engineering, and permitting the Wilmington Facility finally became a reality in
2009. The September 10th Groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of a new era of
service, reliability, and environmental stewardship for SSC. The new 525TPD
Wilmington plant will produce 2/3 less emissions and use less water than, the existing
200TPD facility while also providing by-product steam which will offset carbon based fuel
consumption. As the company’s new principal acid plant, SSC Wilmington will set a new
standard for reliability of supply and customer service. The new Wilmington plant is
such a great addition to our "arsenal" of supply options for our customer base
and solidifies and improves our existing position in the Southeast US market. It also
exemplifies our long term commitment to our business and creates such a positive influence
for everyone involved. It's great to be a part of this growth opportunity. Puerto de Mejillones to invest
US$10mn in sulfuric acid storage tanks August 28, 2009 - Puerto de Mejillones, Chile's region II Mejillones port bulk cargo terminal operator, will invest over US$10mn in the construction of two sulfuric acid storage tanks. Anti-dumping duty demand on import of sulphuric
acid August 25, 2009 - Copper and zinc producers are selling
their smelting by-product, sulphuric acid, much below their production cost, as dumping of
the chemical by Japanese and Korean producers has created an over-supply, they complain.
The acid is used by the fertiliser and detergent industries. An industry lobby led
by Sterlite Industries, Hindustan Zinc and Hindalco Industries has demanded anti-dumping
duty on the chemical, which has not been approved by the government.
“Government is not approving anti-dumping duty under the pretext of protecting the
fertiliser industry,” said a person familiar with the development. He claimed the
contribution of the chemical to fertiliser production cost was minuscule. The
chemical is currently sold at the price of $3 per tonne. Usually, the price of sulphuric
acid is a third of the price of sulphur, which is being sold at $60-70 a tonne. This
should have meant the chemical is priced at $20-25 a tonne. According to media
reports, China is also considering anti-dumping duty on the chemical, as it is a similar
victim. This will worsen the situation for Indian producers. Stingray Copper Awards Aker Chemetics Acid Plant August 17, 2009 - Stingray Copper Inc. is pleased to
announce that it has awarded a contract to Aker Chemetics, a division of Aker Solutions
Canada Inc., for the Full Basic Engineering of a Co-Generating Plant producing both
sulfuric acid and electricity. The Co-Gen Plant will produce superheated high pressure
steam to be used in a turbo-generator resulting in approximately ten megawatts of
electrical power. In addition, this plant will be capable of producing 750 tonne per day
("tpd") of sulfuric acid. This work was a recommendation in the April 2009, El
Pilar Feasibility Study completed by M3 Engineering and Technology Corporation and
detailed in News Release 2009-02. Both the power and sulfuric acid outputs are 25% larger
than was contemplated in the Feasiblity Study previously mentioned and should assist in
driving down cash costs per pound of copper produced while also de-risking the project. Noranda Income Fund Announces That It Is Suspending Its Cash DistributionJuly 20, 2009 -- The Noranda Income Fund (the "Fund") (TSX: NIF.UN) announced today it is suspending its monthly cash distribution. Since March 2009, the Fund has operated the production of sulphuric acid and zinc at 80% of 2008 levels because of the weak demand for sulphuric acid. The Fund's profitability and cash flow have been negatively impacted by operating at less than full capacity and by weak market conditions. As a result, the Board of Trustees feels that it is prudent to stop paying the monthly cash distribution until there is an overall improvement in the economic outlook for the Fund. The suspension will impact both the Ordinary and Priority Unitholders. Ordinary Unitholders have not received a monthly distribution since March when the subordination feature became effective. Starting in July, the Priority Unitholders will no longer receive a distribution. The Fund is unable to predict with any certainty the expected duration of weak market conditions, including the demand for sulphuric acid. Peru government rejects Doe Run smelter plan July 17, 2009 - Bloomberg reported that Peru’s government rejected a proposal by Doe Run Peru to reopen its shuttered lead and zinc smelter. Peru’s government said that it will not agree to delay a deadline for an environmental clean up unless the company puts up 100% of its shares as a guarantee. The Energy and Mines Ministry said that the subsidiary of the Renco Group needs to spend at least USD 100 million as compared with the USD 31 million proposed last month. Banks froze Doe Run’s accounts in February after metal prices collapsed and the smelter halted all operations on June 2nd because it couldn’t buy the raw materials needed. Copper, zinc and lead prices plunged at least 49% in London last year, leading to USD 124 million in company losses. Mr Jose Mogrovejo VP of Doe Run said that "We’re studying a new proposal for suppliers and the government to be discussed in a meeting later this week. We hope to reach an agreement on this as soon as possible." Mr Fernando Gala deputy mining minister of Peru said that US billionaire Mr Ira Rennert Renco’s owner must inject cash for the smelter. The government rejected the company’s proposal to use a prior USD 18 million guarantee and tax rebates to finance part of its USD 156 million debt to suppliers. The government may extend an October 31st clean-up deadline if the company commits USD 150 million over an 11 month period. Doe Run proposed a 30 month period to build a sulphuric acid plant to curb emissions. Jury: DuPont negligent in '04 spill July 14, 2009 - A jury has found chemical giant DuPont guilty of gross negligence in a 2004 leak at its Wurtland plant that released clouds of sulfuric acid over large portions of Greenup County. Because of that negligence, those suing DuPont for health problems they suffered as a result of the release are entitled to 10 times the monetary damages they would have otherwise collected, the jury ruled. The 10-member jury found in favor of the plaintiffs on Monday after deliberating for about three hours and 40 minutes. The verdict concluded a civil trial that began June 26 in U.S. District Court in Ashland. The lawsuit - actually a consolidation of several actions filed against DuPont following the Oct. 11, 2004, chemical release - is being tried in four phases. While acknowledging a chemical release did take place at the Wurtland facility on the date in question, DuPont continues to maintain that release was not the cause of the problems alleged by the plaintiffs, Campbell said. "We really don't believe our actions in the case warranted these awards," she said. We think our employees acted swiftly to stop the release and to inform the community." A number of those suing DuPont are police officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel who responded to the scene when the leak occurred. The leak, caused by a cracked pipe at the Wurtland facility, resulted in the release of sulfur trioxide, a chemical that formed billowing white clouds composed of droplets of sulfuric acid, which covered much of Wurtland, Worthington and Greenup. Plaintiffs' attorneys argued failure on DuPont's part to address issues raised by a 1995 chemical release at the Wurtland plant was largely responsible for the same type of incident occurring again nine years later. Following the 1995 incident, a safety team recommended DuPont institute a number of changes at the facility to ensure a spill of that nature never occurred again, according to testimony in the case. "Not only did DuPont ignore those recommendations in 1995, it continued to ignore them following the 2004 spill as well," plantiffs' lawyers said in bench memorandum filed in the case. "In other words, DuPont had known for nine years it needed to improve its Wurtland facility's safety practices, but simply chose not to." Also, testimony in the case revealed three months before the spill, a DuPont investigation revealed the tube bundle that ultimately failed was "dangerously corroded" and in need of replacement, but the company declined to do so, the memorandum states. Vale informs about strike in Canadian operations July 13, 2009 – Vale S.A.
(Vale) informs that the unionized maintenance and production employees at its operations
in Sudbury and Port Colborne, province of Ontario, Canada, went on strike today after
rejecting the company’s settlement offer for a new three-year collective bargaining
agreement. Our proposal aims to provide the right incentives to labor productivity
growth and to enhance the foundations of our long-term competitiveness and capacity to
continue to generate value. The strike affects 3,073 employees at our integrated
mining, milling, smelting and refining operations in Sudbury, and 116 employees at our
Port Colborne refinery. In 2008, finished nickel production originated from the
Sudbury operations reached 85,300 metric tons, 31% of Vale’s total output. Our Port
Colborne facility produces platinum group metals, gold and silver intermediate products.
As previously disclosed, the Sudbury and Port Colborne operations began an
eight-week shutdown on June 1, 2009, and were scheduled to resume operations on July 27,
2009. July 13, 2009 - Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund announced that Chemtrade's supply of sulphuric acid and liquid sulphur dioxide to its customers will not be affected by the labour disruption at Vale Inco's nickel mining and processing facilities at Sudbury. Mark Davis, President and CEO of Chemtrade, said, "Prior to Vale Inco's announcement in April of an extended shutdown we began building inventory to ensure that supply to our customers was protected. While Chemtrade's product supply of acid from Vale Inco ceased on May 9 and will not resume until the smelter is restarted, we will continue to supply our customers from inventory, our own sulphuric acid manufacturing facilities as well as sourcing from other suppliers. We will continue to review the situation but currently anticipate that we will be able to keep our customers supplied until Vale Inco resumes production." Bayer Technology Services completed sulfuric acid plant featuring innovative technology June 16, 2009 - Bayer Technology Services GmbH (BTS) has
been commissioned by Berzelius Stolberg GmbH, the largest lead manufacturer in Europe, to
build a sulfuric acid plant operating on the BAYQIK® process. The company is based
in Stolberg near Aachen, Germany. The plant has now been successfully brought on stream
after just 17 months. The BAYQIK® (Quasi-Isotherme-Katalyse [quasi-isothermal catalysis])
process developed by BTS can increase the SO2 inlet concentration by up to 50
percent by volume. Coupled with optimized process management, this results in
significantly higher conversion, i.e. sulfur dioxide emissions are greatly reduced.
Another benefit is an increase of at least 30 percent in available plant capacity.
Berzelius tested and optimized the process in a pilot application on-site. Its
robustness, quality and cost benefits were the deciding factors in awarding the contract
for the planning, delivery and construction of the first large-scale plant based on the
BAYQIK® process. The facility has a total capacity of 450 metric tons of sulfuric acid
per day. As the BAYQIK® process is operated on a peripheral basis, the existing sulfuric
acid plant was refitted cost-effectively with only a few days’ downtime. Toronto – Aker Solution opens new manufacturing facility in Pickering, Ontario, Canada June 15, 2009 - Aker Solutions has opened
its new 90 000 square foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Pickering, Ontario,
Canada. The new facility will allow Aker Solutions to capitalize on market demand for
fabrication of its proprietary equipment for acid plants, by more than doubling its
production capacity. The original fabrication facility was established in Toronto in
1961, and has been designing and fabricating custom shell and tube heat exchangers and
process equipment for the sulphuric acid, nitric acid, petroleum and chemical industries
for nearly 50 years. Gary Mandel, executive vice president of Process &
Construction, Aker Solutions, said: "As a result of our success as an industry leader
in these niche sectors, we have re-located to this much larger facility, and implemented
key equipment upgrades and manufacturing improvements to enable us to continue to meet
market demand for our high quality, custom fabrication capability." This new
facility includes a 17 400 square-foot office, 17 000 square foot machine shop, and two 27
300 square foot assembly bays. The machine shop and assembly bays are equipped with a
total of seven cranes, each with a span of 70 feet. Single lift capacity in one of the
assembly bays is 100 tonnes. The facility provides higher and heavier lift capacity for
larger equipment. Doe Run Peru shuts smelter, seeks to delay cleanup June 3, 2009 - U.S.-owned mining company Doe Run
shuttered its Peruvian smelter on Wednesday, likely costing 3,500 jobs and threatening the
closure of scores of small mines as it struggles to finance operations. Doe Run Peru
called the temporary closure "inevitable," saying it hasn't been able to find
funding to "normalize operations, pay creditors, and complete the final project"
in a required environmental cleanup, according to a statement published in local
newspapers.Doe Run Peru, a subsidiary of New York-based holding company The Renco Group,
has faced serious financing problems since March, after its lenders cut a $75 million
credit line amid sagging metal prices. Sulfuric acid may trade close to zero April 22, 2009 - Sulfuric acid, the biggest by-product of copper
smelting, may trade near zero on the spot market for the rest of this year because of a
slump in demand from customers such as fertiliser makers, CRU Group said. The acid
sold above $450 a tonne in the spot market in the middle of last year, the London-based
research company said. Prices fell as the US, Europe and Japan entered simultaneous
recessions and demand shrank to a five-year low. “Zero, or close to zero, is
still the spot price,” Joanne Peacock, a sulfuric acid analyst at CRU, said by phone
yesterday. “Based on the current outlook for demand, it is more or less the same
picture for the rest of the year.” The plunge in prices is curbing the
profitability of some copper producers, compounding a drop in some charges for processing
metal. The excess supply has spurred some refiners to store acid on ships at sea and
prompted Xstrata to suspend a smelter in Canada this month. Demand from fertiliser
manufacturers, who use the commodity to make phosphate fertiliser, has dropped about 30
per cent this year, CRU estimates. The industry normally accounts for over 50 per cent of
consumption. The acid is also produced by the zinc, lead and nickel industries,
which together with copper generate 55 million tonnes of the liquid a year. A copper
smelter produces 3 tonnes of acid for every tonne of metal made. Weak demand for acid has
been cited by metals producers such as Stockholm-based Boliden AB as a contributory factor
in them shutting production. “Unless there is a sudden pickup in acid demand,
there is a risk for many more acid-related smelter production cuts in the months
ahead,” Barclays Capital said in a report April 2. The bank expects copper demand to
shrink 2.1 per cent this year, compared with a 1.3 per cent drop in production.
Lower acid prices are benefiting some companies. Miners use the commodity to dissolve
crushed ore, consuming about 10 million tonnes a year, according to CRU. Dupont And Lucite International Agree To Pay $2 Million For Clean Air Violations April 20, 2009 - DuPont and Lucite International Inc. have
agreed to pay a $2 million civil penalty to settle Clean Air Act violations at a sulfuric
acid plant in Belle, West Virgina, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S.
Justice Department, and the state of West Virginia announced today. The sulfuric
acid plant is located on a 100-acre chemical manufacturing complex along the Kanawha
River. The plant is owned by Lucite and operated by DuPont. The companies will pay
$1 million to the United States and $1 million to the state of West Virginia.
Further, the companies chose on their own to shut down the sulfuric-acid manufacturing
unit of a larger chemical facility at the site and the settlement confirms this
agreement. Under the settlement, the sulfuric acid unit is scheduled to shut down by
April 1, 2010. Chemtrade Will Maintain Supplies to Customers Despite Vale Inco Sudbury Shutdown April 17, 2009 - Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund (TSX: CHE.UN) announced that Chemtrade's supply of sulphuric acid and liquid sulphur dioxide to its customers will not be affected by Vale Inco's recent announcement that its nickel mining and processing facilities at Sudbury will be shut down from June 1 to July 27, 2009 in response to global demand conditions. Mark Davis, President and CEO of Chemtrade noted that although Vale Inco is Chemtrade's largest supplier of sulphuric acid, Chemtrade has its own sulphuric acid manufacturing facilities and is also able to source from other suppliers. Mr. Davis added, "While Chemtrade's product supply of acid from Vale Inco will be curtailed for the duration of the shutdown, we have built inventory to prepare for this possibility. With Chemtrade's capabilities and measures taken to date, we do not expect any disruption to our customers." Vale halts Sudbury mining April 16, 2009 - Major nickel mining operations in Sudbury, Ont., will come to a standstill for the first time in more than a century this summer after Brazil's Vale Inco announced plans to shutter its Sudbury mines and smelters for two months. Blaming the devastating downturn in nickel prices and plunging demand for the metal used to make stainless steel, Vale Inco parent Companhia Vale do Rio Doce [RIO-N] said late Thursday it will close its five operating Sudbury mines and its entire suite of nickel processing operations in June and July. Vale Inco spokesman Cory McPhee said there is no longer sufficient demand for all the nickel the company produces from its Sudbury operations. “The pipeline is full. We are not selling all the nickel we produce in Ontario and so this allows us to clear the pipeline. …When we return to work we are going to be in a much better position,” Mr. McPhee said. About 5,000 Vale Inco employees will be affected. Mr. McPhee said the company will mandate employees to use their vacation time during the shutdown, but will likely have to issue temporary layoff notices. The planned shutdowns follow Xstrata Nickel's recent decision to shutter its mining operations in Sudbury, save for a development mine that won't reach full production until 2010. Xstrata laid off 686 workers at its Sudbury operations in February when it put its two operating mines on care and maintenance. It continues to construct the Nickel Rim South mine in the Northern Ontario city that has been the world's largest nickel mining centre since the early 1900s. In December, Vale Inco closed its Copper Cliff South mine in Sudbury. It recently said it is cutting 900 jobs including 350 in Canada. Vale and Xstrata were the respective victors in a heated takeover battle for Canadian mining stalwarts Inco and Falconbridge in 2006 and 2007. The foreign mining giants paid more than $40-billion combined for the Canadian companies. In order to win Ottawa's approval for the takeovers, both Vale and Xstrata promised not to lay off workers for three years. The price of nickel reached record highs above $23 (U.S.) a pound shortly after the buyouts. It has since fallen to about $5.50 a pound. Eight-week shutdown at met site - Move
impacts 175 Xstrata Copper workers
April 1, 2009 - About 175 workers at Xstrata
Copper’s Kidd Creek Metallurgical Site will be affected by an eight-week shutdown
starting April 13 because of weak demand for sulphuric acid. The shutdown will affect employees working in the
copper smelter, whereas the site’s concentrator and zinc operations will continue to
operate. Thompson Hickey, general manager at
the site, said the company experienced a “significant drop” in sulphuric acid
sales since January, due to a lack of demand. “An
ongoing negative outlook on sales requires that we adjust our operating plans to further
reduce our acid production to meet this current reality,” Hickey said in a press
release. “This situation is beyond our
control and we will make all possible efforts to mitigate potential impacts on our 175
employees working at the copper operation.” Hickey
said Xstrata doesn’t expect the shutdown to last any longer and “we look forward
to returning to normal production levels.” China punishes 13 officials for river pollution March 30, 2009 - Thirteen officials in central China have been punished after a chemical company contaminated a river with arsenic, state media reported Sunday. A local court sentenced Liu Gaili, a former environmental protection bureau official, to two years in jail, the official Xinhua News Agency cited the Shangqiu city government in Henan province as saying. The report said 12 other officials were either sacked or given administrative punishments. The officials were punished after a section of the Dasha river was found contaminated by arsenic in August last year. Water quality tests showed the concentration of arsenic was nearly 900 times greater than what was deemed safe. Investigations showed the Chengcheng Chemical Co. Ltd., a sulfuric acid plant, had been illegally dumping toxic waste water into the river since late July, contaminating 1,000 tons of water, Xinhua said. Selected sluices were closed and dams built to prevent the contaminated water from spreading to neighboring Anhui province, while experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences poured chemical agents into the river to purify it. Tests between November and March showed the water was safe and no residents or livestock had been poisoned, Xinhua said. China's double-digit economic growth has been accompanied by a surge in toxic industries. The country has 16 of the world's 20 most heavily polluted cities. Outotec has won service contracts in Chile and Canada March 24, 2009 - Outotec has won service contracts in Chile and Canada. Outotec has won several service contracts for industrial and maintenance services in Chile and Canada. The total value of these services is approximatel EUR 15 million. The orders include: industrial services for Codelco's Minera Gaby copper mine in northern Chile including maintenance and cleaning services for five years, - maintenance and cleaning services for Xstrata's Altonorte smelter and sulfuric acid plant in northern Chile during three years, and - smelting furnace rebuild services for Vale Inco's nickel smelter located in Sudbury, Canada. The services will be provided by Outotec Auburn, a new unit focusing on maintenance services and acquired by Outotec in late 2008. "We have invested strongly in the development of the Services business. These contracts demonstrate that our work is bearing fruit. Outotec Auburn has a strong presence in Canada and Chile, but with Outotec's large network of sales and service centers the unit has good opportunities to grow its business globally", notes Tapani Järvinen, CEO of Outotec. EPA Alleges Major Violations at Simplot February 9, 2009 - The Environmental Protection Agency has
filed a notice of violaton against the J.R. Simplot Company. Specifically the Don
Plant in Pocatello and some of those violations according to a notice by the EPA date
back almost twenty years... Economic Conditions Cause Re-Evaluation of El Paso Plant Investment/Goals February 3, 2009 - Asarco LLC informed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) that it does not intend to reopen it El Paso, Texas Copper Plant. The decision is based on the dramatic downturn of the world economy in the last six months. Asarco is working with the state of Texas to fund a custodial trust for the demolition of the plant and remediation of the site. Any custodial trust must be approved by the bankruptcy court that is overseeing Asarco’s reorganization effort. Today’s decision will not affect Asarco’s operating copper refinery in Amarillo, Texas. Outotec to deliver sulfuric acid plant for Noracid in Chile January 27, 2009 - Outotec to deliver sulfuric acid plant for Noracid in Chile. Outotec has agreed with Noracid S.A. on the delivery of a new sulfuric acid plant to be built in Mejillones, Chile. The contract value is approximately EUR 51 million. Outotec's scope of delivery covers engineering, process equipment and supervisory services for a plant designed to produce annually over 600,000 tonnes of sulfuric acid and approximately 24 MW of electric energy. The sulfuric acid will be used by the local metallurgical industry. The plant is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2011. "Outotec has delivered sulfuric acid technology for a number of plants in Chile, for example for Codelco's divisions and for Xstrata's Altonorte operations. This new plant based in Mejillones will further strengthen our market position as a leader in sulfuric acid plant technologies in Chile," comments Outotec's CEO Tapani Järvinen. China Energy Recovery Secures an
$8.9 Million Contract for a Heat Recovery System Retrofit Project for Jiangsu Sopo
Chemical January 27, 2009 - China Energy Recovery,
Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CGYV - ISIN: US16943V2060; "CER"), a leader in the
waste heat energy recovery sector of the industrial energy efficiency industry, announced
today that it has recently entered into an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction)
contract for a retrofit project (the "Project") to build a new low temperature
heat recovery system (the "System") for the sulfuric acid plant of Jiangsu Sopo
Chemical Group ("Sopo Group"). Sopo Group is a leading Chinese integrated
chemical company and China's largest producer of Acetic Acid (Glacial), one of the major
basic chemicals for industrial uses. Changes to BHP Billiton's Nickel Business January 21, 2009 - BHP Billiton today announced that it
will immediately commence the safe ramp down and indefinite suspension of the Ravensthorpe
Nickel Operation (Australia). Al Ain to go green with sulphur
concrete in sewerage January 20, 2009 |
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