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Sulphuric Acid - NEWS

 

Updated January 5, 2024

 

2020


Metso Outotec to modernise Norilsk Nickel’s Nadezhda smelting line 
Less pollution expected as Nornickel resumes sulfuric acid production in Monchegorsk 
On 23 December, the day before Christmas Eve, the Russian smelter in Nikel is shutting down for good

India's Vedanta loses appeal to reopen copper plant
Codelco to stop Chuqui smelter

Sulfuric acid leak closes Sudbury roadways
Chinalco’s general manager: Blind copper smelting capacity expansion should be strictly curbed 
Katanga postpones acid plant commissioning 
Worley Notes Shell Awards Contracts for Indonesian Sulfuric Acid Plant
China copper smelter Guangxi Nanguo declares force majeure amid coronavirus
Glencore lifts cobalt output 
Waning sulphuric acid demand threatens China copper output amid virus lockdown

Morocco’s fertilizer producer OCP eyes Romanian market

Zijin to invest $800 million in Serbian mining sector in 2020
Chinese alliance to build major acid factory in Egypt
CN and Norfalco sign agreement

2020   2021   2022   2023
2019   2018   2017   2016   2015   2014   2013   2012   2011    2010  
2009   2008   2007   2006   2005   2004   2003   2002   2001    2000  
1999   1998


Metso Outotec to modernise Norilsk Nickel’s Nadezhda smelting line 

December 17, 2020 - Metso Outotec has been awarded a landmark contract by PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel to modernise one of the company’s two existing smelting lines at their Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant in Norilsk, Russia.  The contract value is approximately €90 million ($110 million), and the order has been booked in Metso Outotec’s December quarter 2020 order intake.  Metso Outotec’s contract includes engineering and delivery of a nickel flash smelting furnace and a heat recovery boiler with related automation and advanced digital products.  Replacing the existing smelting line with the latest process technology and furnace structures will significantly increase the line’s capacity and availability, reduce metal losses and ease maintenance, according to the mining OEM. The new line will also allow for the easy connection and efficient operation with potential future sulphuric acid production and neutralisation projects. The delivery of the equipment will take place during the first half of 2022.  Sergey Dubovitsky, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Strategic Projects, Logistics & Procurement at Norilsk Nickel, said: “Metso Outotec is a long-term partner of Norilsk Nickel, supplying state-of-the-art equipment and technologies. Our cooperation allows us to solve the most important production and technological issues, such as increasing the reliability and efficiency of production.”  Jari Ålgars, President of Metso Outotec’s Metals business area, added: “Norilsk Nickel operates the world’s largest nickel and palladium deposit in Russia. We are very committed to our long partnership with Norilsk Nickel, and we are pleased to have been awarded the contract to modernise their smelting line at Nadezhda. Our unique process expertise and sustainable technologies enable the design and delivery of a world-class smelting process that meets today’s and future production requirements.”  Metso Outotec is a leading supplier of smelting technology, with about 40 operational smelting lines around the world. The company claims its Flash Smelting Process is the cleanest smelting method available, giving high recovery of metals with low investment and operating costs.

 

Less pollution expected as Nornickel resumes sulfuric acid production in Monchegorsk 

December 4, 2020 -
After a year with several smog incidents damaging the nature surrounding the factories, the company now launches several projects aimed at making the skies blue.
 Kola GMK, the subsidiary of Nornickel in the Murmansk region, will over the next three years invest 7,8 billion ruble (€85 million) in clean-production technologies.  In 2000, the sulfuric acid department at the nickel refinery was decommissioned. Now, this production will be resumed after an upgrade and re-equipment. “Thanks to the new sulfuric acid separation system, we plan to reduce emissions of sulfur-containing gases by more than 400 tons per year,” said Maxim Ryabushkin, Chief Engineer of Kola GMK in a statement.  He assures that the new equipment will be more advanced and reliable, and with a higher efficiency than the production shut down 20 years ago. As an example, the old metal pipelines and acid collectors will be replaced with new ones made of acid-resistant durable polymeric materials.  The new sulfuric acid production will be up and running by 2023, the company informs.  In 2017, Kola GMK said it restarted an old sulfuric acid production line at its smelter in Nikel near the border to Norway. It was then said higher content of sulfur in the briquets from a modernized plant in Zapolyarny made it easier to collect the sulfur and make sulfuric acid out of it.  In Nikel, the smelter will shut down this Christmas and production will then be moved to Monchegorsk where the modernization now will happen. The nickel refining plant here is the world’s largest.  A common filtration system aimed at capturing the smoke and sulfur aerosols will be installed, so less smog will be discharged from the chimneys.  Also by 2023, auxiliary equipment for purifying process gases are to be installed at the fluidized bed furnaces in the refining shop of the plant.  This summer and autumn, the Barents Observer has on several occations reported about thick smog covering kilometers after kilometers of fragile taiga forest west of the factories in Monchegorsk, a two-hour drive south of Murmansk in the Russian north.

On 23 December, the day before Christmas Eve, the Russian smelter in Nikel is shutting down for good


November 24, 2020 - The Russian smelter in Nikel is shutting down on 23 December, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.  The Russian smelter has caused Sulphur clouds to drift in across Finnmark, Norway for decades.  “Emissions will stop and we expect a significant improvement of the environmental situation”, says Tatiana Yegorova, Head of Communications at the Russian industrial enterprise NorNickel, which operates the Nikel smelter, to NRK.  In the 1980’s, the plant spewed out some 400,000 tons of Sulphur dioxide annually. In recent years, emissions have been down to somewhat 80,000 tons, though that is nevertheless still five times  as much as Norway’s accumulated emissions.  While the Nikel smelter is shutting down, operations will continue in Montchegorsk further east.  When news broke last autumn about a potential shutting down, about 800 persons in Nikel ran the risk of losing their jobs. One year later, it is clear that many of the workers will be transferred to Montchegorsk and Zapolyarny.  In addition, 285 of the employees have agreed to early retirement, according to Yegorova of NorNickel.



India's Vedanta loses appeal to reopen copper plant

Codelco to stop Chuqui smelter

June 29, 2020 -
Chile’s state copper company Codelco has decided to shut down its Chuquicamata copper smelter and refinery in the Antofagasta region of northern Chile as a preventative measure against the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
  The smelter produced 321,000 tonnes of copper in 2018. In addition to reducing copper production, the decision will also reduce the production of sulphuric acid which is used to leach copper at other operations.  The suspension follows less than a week after Codelco suspended work on projects at its Chuquicamata division to prevent the movement of people from other regions into the area and to reduce the overall number of workers and contractors.  The Chuquicamata division includes the Chuquicamata, Ministro Hales and Radomiro Tomic mines which together produced more than 803,000 tonnes of copper in 2019 and employ almost 7,000 people. Since May, the company had already reduced the number of people working by 30%.  Chile's copper production has fallen by about 5% from the 500,000 tonnes per month run rate it had at the end of 2019, according to figures from S&P Global Market Intelligence.



Sulfuric acid leak closes Sudbury roadways

June 6, 2020 - In the early morning of June 6, a Glencore contracted tanker spilled sulfuric acid across highway 17 resulting in road closures in the Garson, Falconbridge area.  The spill resulted in the closure of the highway 17 bypass, from highway's east end and Garson, Coniston Road to Falconbridge.  Some roadways in the Falconbridge area may also experience traffic disruptions.Greater Sudbury Police and Fire Services say there is no danger to the public but were advising residents who live in the area to avoid touching or driving over any liquid found on or abutting the roadway."Road closures will remain in effect while inspections are completed and any required cleanup occurs. This work is expected to continue overnight," said a city official in statement early Saturday morning."Greater Sudbury Fire Services is working closely with partners at the Greater Sudbury Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police and Glencore in response to this incident."Roadways closed due to the spill have now been reopened.

Chinalco’s general manager: Blind copper smelting capacity expansion should be strictly curbed 

May 22, 2020 - Blind expansion of copper smelting capacity in China should be strictly curbs to facilitate high-quality development of the copper industry, said Yu Dehui, Chinalco’s general manager and member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body.  Structural contradictions of China’s copper smelting sector have intensified overcapacity woes, heightened reliance on foreign ore and boosted environmental pressure, Yu Thursday told China Nonferrous Metals News on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress.  China’s refined copper capacity in China reached 12.59 million mt per year in 2019, while investment in the sector grew 40.9%. Production of refined copper for the year was 9.78 million mt, pointing to a capacity utilisation rate of just 77%, according to Yu.  The capacity is expected to expand to 14.22 million mt per year in 2021, widening the glut.  China’s copper concentrate self-sufficiency rate, meanwhile, has fallen to 22.8%, from 43.25% in 2000.  Yu also mentioned sulphuric acid overcapacity woes, which sparked the risks of storage filling up amid the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year.


Katanga postpones acid plant commissioning 

March 31, 2020 – TSX-listed Katanga Mining is closely monitoring the progress of the spread of Covid-19 and is taking measures to contain the impact thereof on the health of its employees and operations.  Meanwhile, as previously announced, Katanga’s 75%-owned subsidiary Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) entered into an agreement with KCC’s 25% shareholder, Democratic Republic of Congo- (DRC-) owned La Générale des Carrières et des Mines to acquire from Gécamines a comprehensive land package covering areas adjacent to KCC’s existing mining concessions for $250-million.  None of this had been paid as at February 13, 2020.  The land includes multiple blocks for construction of a new long-term tailings facility and the possible exploitation of additional resources that would enhance KCC’s ability to more efficiently operate its mines and facilities and fulfil other key infrastructure requirements. The agreement provides for an initial payment of $150-million from KCC to Gécamines, which had been postponed, and, as a result, the agreement was treated as an executory contract and the commitments of $250-million were disclosed as capital commitments in the 2019 annual financial statements.  Engagement with Gécamines and the DRC authorities regarding the initial payment has been ongoing.  KCC has received an injunction order from the General Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal of Kinshasa that orders KCC not to make any payment to Gécamines, pending the conclusion of an investigation by the General Prosecutor relating to Gécamines’ executives.  After reviewing all of its options, KCC has provided notice to Gécamines that the order constitutes a force majeure under the agreement and that its obligations under the agreement are suspended.  Additionally, the company has continued to progress toward the commissioning of its previously disclosed sulphuric acid, sulphur dioxide production and steam turbine generator project at KCC.  However, the acid plant’s commissioning is now delayed as a result of the inability to mobilise necessary commissioning experts to site owing to Covid-19.  The acid plant is expected to be commissioned in the second half of this year, rather than in the first half of the year.

 

Worley Notes Shell Awards Contracts for Indonesian Sulfuric Acid Plant

March 31, 2020 - Worley noted that Shell Global Solutions International BV (Shell) has awarded the Company two contracts for PT Pertamina EP Cepu's (PEPC) new sulfuric acid plant in Indonesia. The plant is part of the Jambaran-Tiung Biru unitized gas field project for PEPC, a subsidiary of PT Pertamina (Persero), Indonesia's state-owned energy company. Under the contracts, it will supply Chemetics proprietary Cooled Oxidation Reactor (CORE) technology. This is the first time Chemetics proprietary CORE sulfuric acid technology will be applied in combination with Shell's proven Cansolv SO2 capture technology, which will provide a new type of sulfuric acid plant that is specifically optimized for high SO2 concentrations.

 

 

China copper smelter Guangxi Nanguo declares force majeure amid coronavirus

 

February 7, 2020 - A copper smelter in Southwest China has declared force majeure on deliveries of copper concentrate, two sources briefed on the matter said on Friday, as a coronavirus outbreak in the country heightened fears about a hit to demand.  Guangxi Nanguo Copper, with production capacity of 300,000 tonnes per year, is the first smelter in China to declare force majeure following the virus epidemic, which has killed more than 600 people and sparked concerns about copper demand in the world’s biggest consumer of the metal.  One of the sources, with a major bank, said the force majeure related to copper concentrate cargoes that had not been nominated or had letters of credit issued.  “So it’s not really a credit issue ... just that as production is being cut down there is less need to take material.”  “With various places sealed off and traffic control in connection with the virus, I think there is ground to raise force majeure,” the source added.  A second mining source said he had heard from other main suppliers to Guangxi Nanguo about the force majeure. His company did not supply much concentrates to the smelter and hence did not directly receive the notice.  Lackluster demand for sulphuric acid, a byproduct of copper production, due to factory closures including those in the manufacturing hub and epicenter of coronavirus Hubei means many copper smelters are exacted to cut production.  Copper smelters will reduce production by more than 15% in February from the previous month, Chinese research house Antaike said earlier this week, citing high stocks of byproduct sulphuric acid and logistical constraints that could force output cuts.  Three other sources, including one at Nanguo supplier China Minmetals Corp [CHMIN.UL], said the company had asked for shipments to be delayed but were unsure if there had been an official force majeure declaration. A Minmetals spokesman was unaware of the matter.  The second of these sources, who also supplies concentrate into China, said Nanguo was on maintenance in January and decided to ask for deliveries to be suspended due to the virus, a lack of manpower and transportation problems.  The third source, another supplier to Nanguo, said the firm had temporarily shut production but could resume next week.  Calls to Guangxi Nanguo, which only started up its smelter last year, went unanswered on Friday and the company did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.  www.reuters.com


Glencore lifts cobalt output 

February 5, 2020 - The world’s biggest cobalt miner produced 10 per cent more of the metal last year thanks to increased output from one of its mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Glencore said cobalt production had risen to 46,300 ­tonnes, primarily thanks to its Katanga mine. This more than offset the impact of its decision to mothball its Mutanda mine in the same country.  The Ivan Glasenberg-headed Glencore, based in Switzerland and listed in London, is one of the world’s biggest mining companies. It reported net income of $US3.4bn ($5.02bn) in 2018 from producing commodities including copper, cobalt, zinc and coal, and from substantial trading operations. Glencore also operates coal mines in Australia.  Glencore produces cobalt as a by-product of copper at Katanga and Mutanda and also produces copper at Mopani in Zambia. Its African copper and cobalt operations are seen as a key growth area, with the metals forecast to be in increasing demand for electric vehicles.  However, the operations have faced difficulties, including corruption investigations in Congo and safety issues. Glencore is seeking to turn the business around.  The miner decided in August to mothball Mutanda by the end of the year owing to lower prices for cobalt, as well as higher costs and taxes in the country. It then shut it down early in November amid problems sourcing sulfuric acid.  Glencore said that copper production had fallen by 6 per cent to 1.37 million tonnes, with about half of the decline stemming from its African copper business after the shutdown at Mutanda and a smelter refurbishment at Mopani. This was partly offset by the increase in output from Katanga.  Analysts at Credit Suisse said: “Katanga’s copper output remains consistent and Mopani is … beginning to heat up.”  www.theaustralian.com.au


Waning sulphuric acid demand threatens China copper output amid virus lockdown

 

February 4, 2020 - Factory closures due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, including in epicentre Hubei, are sapping demand for sulphuric acid, a byproduct of copper production, and will likely see smelters cut output, industry sources said on Tuesday.  Prices for sulphuric acid, mostly used in fertilisers, have more than halved since December's outbreak, which has now claimed more than 400 lives in China and sparked concerns over the impact on copper demand in the world's biggest consumer of the metal.  Hubei, which accounts for 20% of China's sulphuric acid consumption, according to an official at Hubei-based smelter Daye Nonferrous Metals Group, has told businesses not to return to work until at least Feb. 14, while other Chinese regions have extended the Lunar New Year holiday through this week.  "As a result, there is huge pressure on the sulphuric acid sales of copper smelters" and their copper production will be affected, the Daye Nonferrous source said, adding that there would be a knock-on effect on China's copper concentrate imports and treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs).  Copper smelters produce around one tonne of sulphuric acid for every tonne of copper concentrate consumed.  Transport restrictions around Hubei are having a small impact on Daye's own inbound concentrate shipments, the source said, adding that Daye itself has not yet cut output.  But if weak acid sales persist for another month or two, the 600,000 tonnes per year smelter may have to run at only 70-80% of capacity, said the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.  "High acid stock could impact cathode production," said He Tianyu, a copper analyst with CRU, adding that logistics were a "big problem" for China's copper industry at the moment.  A source at Jiangxi Copper Co, with annual smelting capacity of more than 1 million tonnes, said the company may also be affected.  "We had nearly full capacity running during Chinese New Year but might need to cut ... due to the high inventory of sulphuric acid," the source said, declining to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to the media.  One-third of Jiangxi Copper's refined copper output that uses copper concentrate, or partially processed copper ore, as a raw material, may be cut, while production using blister, a partially purified form of copper, will stay the same, he added. Daye Nonferrous and Jiangxi Copper did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Morocco’s fertilizer producer OCP eyes Romanian market

February 3, 2020 - Morrocco’s phosphate and fertilizer producer OCP, will start exporting fertilizers to Romania after the setting up a company dubbed SEEFCO, which will be in charge of imports, stockpiling and marketing in the eastern European country, Moroccan media reported.  The OCP’s SEEFCO, which stands for South East European Fertilizer Company, will operate in partnership with UAE group Al Dahra.  The company will also help the group access other markets in Eastern Europe and reduce logistics cost.  The group recently signed an 80 Euro million deal with Finland’s Outotec to uild a sulphuri acid plant, an investment, which comes only a few days after the Moroccan phosphates exporter signed a  Euro 255 million agreement with Spain’s Intecesa to build two similar plants.  The new plants will help OCP maintain leadership in the phosphates-based fertilizers market especially in Africa.  OCP, which is currently producing customized fertilizers specific to the needs of different African soils from its chemical plants in Jorf Lasfar, is also planning large-scale investiments in Africa.

In Ethiopia, the group already launched a plant that will be operational in the next two or four years.  The plant required an investment of about $3 billion and is expected to export raw material for the production of fertilizers to the region.  The group is planning a fertilizer plant in Nigeria and probably in Ghana where feasibility studies are underway.  OCP is also gearing efforts to improve the process of agricultural productivity in Africa through helping farmers and establishing soil maps.  OCP revenues hit $5.95 billion in 2018, as the company continues to step investments beyond extraction to manufacturing customized fertilizers.

www.northafrica post.com  



Zijin to invest $800 million in Serbian mining sector in 2020

Chinese alliance to build major acid factory in Egypt
 

January 10, 2020 - A Chinese industrial and construction consortium including China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has won an $848m contract to build and operate a large phosphoric and sulfuric acid factory in Egypt.  Located near the Abu Tartour phosphate mine in the southwestern New Valley Governorate, the plant will boost Egypt’s standing as a major producer of the acids, which are used in fertilizers, food and beverage manufacture, electronics and other products.  Phosphate producer Wengfu Group and industrial engineer East China Engineering Science & Technology Co. joined CSCEC in signing the contract on 24 December, with Egyptian mineral resources minister Tareq al-Molla and China’s ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang on hand to witness.  Commissioned by Egypt’s state-owned Phosphate Misr Company, the plant will have the capacity to produce 500,000 tons of phosphoric acid and 1.6 million tons of sulfuric acid a year.  The Abu Tartour Plateau has a reserve of more than 5 billion tons of phosphate rock, Phosphate Misr says.  CSCEC said the deal “will effectively drive the Chinese phosphorous chemical industry and related Chinese equipment to go global”.  Phosphate production has helped Egypt industrialise. The chairman of Phosphate Misr, Khaled El Ghazaly, writes on the company’s website: “In just over three decades Egypt has managed to transform itself from a small phosphate ore producer to one of the world’s largest producers with a production capacity of 10 Million Tons per year.”
  www.globalconstructionreview.com

CN and Norfalco sign agreement

 

January 9, 2020 - CN and NorFalco Sales, a division of Glencore Canada Corporation, announced they have signed a new multi-year agreement that will provide freight transportation of Sulphuric Acid from NorFalco’s rail served productions facilities in Sudbury, ON; Rouyn-Noranda, QC; and Valleyfield, QC. The agreement reconfirms CN and NorFalco’s strategic partnership for years to come.  NorFalco is one of North America's largest merchant marketers of sulfuric acid, responsible for the marketing and distribution of about 2 million tons of sulfuric acid per year. Through parent company Glencore, NorFalco has exclusive access to sulfuric acid production from four major North American production facilities and to an unrivaled global sulfuric acid supply and trading network.  “This agreement furthers our strategic partnership with NorFalco reaching new facilities throughout eastern Canada,” said JJ Ruest, president and chief executive officer of CN. “Safety is a core value at CN as it is for NorFalco, and NorFalco has consistently won CN’s Safe Handling Award recognizing customers that meet strict standards for the safe handling and shipment of regulated products. CN will continue working closely with NorFalco thanks to this renewed long term partnership."  “We are pleased to continue our strategic partnership with CN. This agreement provides NorFalco, and our customers, with a reliable rail transportation infrastructure, underpinned with a shared commitment to safety in handling and moving our product throughout our diversified customer base,” said Kunal Sinha, CEO of NorFalco. “We anticipate this agreement will further our strategic growth supported with manageable transportation costs.”