Sulphuric Acid -
NEWS
Updated May 4, 2016
2016
PQ Corporation
Announces Closing of Merger With Eco Services Operations LLC
Etihad Rail transports 5m tonnes of
sulphur granules
Smelter Fire Secrecy
Geingob opens N$3 billion sulphuric
plant in Tsumeb
Calabrian
Corp. to begin public consultation on Timmins sulphur dioxide plant
Outotec
Awardeda Sulphuric Acid Plant Contract from Boliden Harjavalta
Sulphur dioxide levels exceed maximum
limit
The Mar Camino solution
Technip
to provide Dorr roaster system for KGHM’s Polish copper smelter project
Gecko’s Big Ambitions
Abuse of dominant position – commission
issues statement of objection
King Mohammed VI Inaugurates MAD 6.1 billion OCP Projects
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PQ Corporation Announces Closing of
Merger With Eco Services Operations LLC
May 4, 2016 - PQ Corporation (“PQ”), a leading global manufacturer of
specialty inorganic performance chemicals, high-end catalysts, and
engineered glass beads, and Eco Services Operations LLC (“Eco
Services”), the North American leader in sulfuric acid recycling
services, announced today the closing of a previously announced merger
that bolsters PQ’s position as a world-class specialty inorganic
chemical company. Concurrently with the closing of the merger
between PQ and Eco Services, PQ has also refinanced its existing credit
facilities by entering into a USD$1.2 billion senior secured term loan
(consisting of a USD$900 million senior secured term loan and a USD$300
million Euro equivalent senior secured term loan), USD$625 million in
new senior secured notes, USD$525 million in senior unsecured notes, and
a USD$200 million asset-based secured revolving credit facility. The
existing $200 million of Eco Services notes will remain
outstanding.“Combining PQ and Eco Services and refinancing our credit
facilities positions the new PQ to grow and prosper well into the
future,” said George J. Biltz, President and Chief Executive Officer of
the combined company. “Moving forward, our customers will continue to
see superior product offerings and top-notch service from our dedicated
team.”Biltz also noted that the combination joins two specialty
inorganic chemical companies that have similar business models and
complementary customers. Both companies provide mission-critical
products and services to the refinery industry, with PQ supplying
catalysts necessary for the refining of crude oil and Eco Services
providing sulfuric acid regeneration services needed in the alkylation
process. Biltz anticipates a smooth integration process that is expected
to yield significant back-office savings and other synergies that will
serve PQ’s growth initiatives.Michael R. Boyce will continue to serve as
Chairman of the Board of PQ while refining industry services veteran
Paul J. Ferrall will serve as President of the Eco Services business
unit. Affiliates of CCMP Capital, INEOS Capital, and management remain
as shareholders of the combined business.
Etihad Rail transports 5m tonnes of sulphur
granules
April 9, 2016
- Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s $11 billion
national railway network, announced that it has transported more than
5.24 million tonnes of granulated sulphur in the first 18 months of
Stage One operations for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), from
sources at Shah and Habshan to its point of export at Ruwais.
Equivalent to more than 330,000 truck trips, the transport of granulated
sulphur is the workhorse of Etihad Rail’s Stage One, which received
approval for commercial operations from the Federal Transport
Authority’s (FTA) – Land and Maritime in December 2015. Two trains
depart daily under the current timetable, each carrying 11,000 tonnes of
granulated sulphur and capable of reaching a top-speed of 120 kilometres
per hour. Etihad Rail is the country’s latest and most robust
facilitator of sulphur movement, which is rapidly growing as an integral
part of the UAE economy. Sulphur is a by-product of oil and gas
production and Adnoc and its affiliates export tonnes of sulphur.
“Surpassing the 5.24-million-tonne mark with the transport of granulated
sulphur is a significant milestone for Etihad Rail and stands as an
emblem of our unwavering commitment to facilitating economic
connectivity across Abu Dhabi and the UAE,” said Eng. Faris Saif Al
Mazrouei, chief executive officer of Etihad Rail. “Stage One’s
continued progress is a testament to the strength of the partnership
between Etihad Rail and Adnoc, who are committed to the UAE’s continued
economic diversification and stand aligned with Abu Dhabi Economic
Vision 2030 and UAE Vision 2021,” Eng. Al Mazrouei added.
Stretching a distance of 264-kilometre, Stage One links the sulphur
sources of Shah and Habshan to the export point of Ruwais via the Mirfa
depot, which was recently awarded the Estidama 2 Pearl Construction
Rating by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) for its seven
sustainable buildings. Stage One utilises seven state-of-the-art
locomotives from US-based Electro-Motive Diesel, with wagons supplied by
China’s CSR Corporation. The multi-billion dollar integrated rail
network project, which will span approximately 1,200 kilometres when
complete, is undergoing construction in three stages. The UAE will
witness the development of a secure railway transportation network
capable of transporting large volumes of goods and materials while
linking the UAE’s principle centres of population and industry, along
with the greater GCC railway network. Etihad Rail is being
developed in line with the core tenets of Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030
and UAE Vision 2021, which collectively chart a course for economic
diversification through strategic initiatives set to catalyse UAE
socio-economic growth. At full capacity, Stage One of Etihad Rail
is slated to transport more than seven million tonnes of granulated
sulphur annually.
Smelter Fire Secrecy
April 7, 2016 - A misguided effort to save the reputation of a smelter
company during the opening of its state-of-the-art Acid Plant in Tsumeb
led to the refusal to confirm the details of an explosion of a furnace
that resulted in injuries and a suspension of a supervisor. The
bursting of a copper smelting furnace at the Dundee Smelter three weeks
ago was kept under wraps until yesterday to save President Dr Hage
Geingob the embarrassment before he opened the Dundee Acid Plant
yesterday, 6 April. The copper smelter furnace burst on 13 of
March and the company’s fire brigade and that of the town’s municipality
were mobilised to extinguish the raging sulphuric acid-fueled fire. In
the process the fire fighters used water instead of foam and the furnace
exploded injuring six people. The acid spread throughout the
premises and started melting the shoes of the fire fighters, which led
to six people being hospitalised for inhaling acid fumes, and one was
critically injured as the acid ate through the soles of his shoes.
Dundee has vehemently denied that the incident ever took place, even in
the face of credible information and has gone a step further to suspend
the supervisor for safety for alleged negligence a week ago, information
that was also smothered. It could not be established whether the
company has reported the incident to the authorities but it must have
been an undesirable incident that could have put the safety of working
with dangerous and poisonous chemicals in disrepute in the eyes of
President Geingob, after a lifeline was thrown to Dundee by Cabinet in
2012. For the past half a century, Tsumeb has been a health risk
caused by local sulphur dioxide (SO2) gas emissions from the Namibian
Custom Smelter, until Dundee Precious Metals took over the smelter in
2010. In 2013, after consultation with government the mine was rebranded
from the former Custom Smelter to Dundee Smelter with the construction
of the acid plant. Dundee took a long-term strategy to bring the smelter
to internationally-accepted environmental standards, and in response to
government and public concerns about the emissions, they built
facilities that capture arsenic emissions and use them to produce
sulphuric acid which is a critical component in the mining industry. The
plant is designed to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by 95%. The
state-of-the-art plant was officially inaugurated by President Dr Hage
Geingob yesterday. Dr Geingob said that the acid plant came as a result
of numerous genuine complaints that the government received from Tsumeb
residents over time. “The original complaints were in 2011 that the
smelter was emitting arsenic dust which adversely affected the lives of
employees and community members. The government heard the complaints and
decided to address the problem. The Cabinet at the time tasked the line
minister to investigate the matter with support of UNDP, which was
concluded in 2012.” The president continued that problems that
were indicated in the report could be solved and there was no need to
close the smelter. “Cabinet decided to improve smelter operations to
meet Namibian and International standards of modernising infrastructure.
Dundee was then entrusted to install modern high technology equipment
that ensure the problem of 2011 is comprehensively addressed.“
Dundee chief executive officer and president, Rick Howes said the acid
plant project is only the latest initiative in a series of investments
made to upgrade the smelter to modern standards. “It costs N$2 billion,
and it shows our commitment to improve the quality of life for employees
and local people and also reduce the impact the smelter has on
environment.“ The sulphuric acid produced is sold to uranium mines
and is transported by rail to the coast.http://www.informante.web.na/smelter-fire-secrecy.17547
Geingob opens N$3 billion sulphuric plant in Tsumeb
April 7, 2016 - President Hage Geingob
yesterday inaugurated Dundee Precious Metal’s N$3.9 billion sulphuric
acid plant in Tsumeb, part of a strategic new business venture for the
copper smelting company.
The plant is said to be able to eliminate
about 95 percent of toxic emissions pumped into the air by the smelter.
The acid plant will capture sulphur dioxide emissions that result from
the mineral smelting process and use these to produce sulphuric acid, a
critical component in the mining industry.
The investment is expected to ensure there
will be no emissions of sulphur dioxide into the air through the furnace
stack, particularly over Tsumeb or the work areas of the smelter, which
has for many years affected residents in the surrounding areas.
The N$3.9 billion investment in the
state-of-the-art acid manufacturing plant is one of the largest direct
capital investments in the country, bringing with it modern high
technology and equipment of world-class standard.
“It is pleasing to note that our calls for
increased beneficiation and value addition in the mining sector are
being implemented by investors. The acid produced here will create
business opportunities for TransNamib and other companies. These are the
types of investments we value, investments that produce positive
spillovers into the rest of our economy,” President Geingob said at the
event, which was witnessed by Minister of Environment and Tourism
Pohamba Shifeta, Minister of Defence Penda ya Ndakolo and Minister of
Mines and Energy Obeth Kandjoze, among other high-ranking officials and
senior managers.
“Today we can confidently say that Tsumeb
Smelter is close to full compliance with Namibian standards, pending the
finalisation of the certification process and I expect this process to
be concluded expeditiously,” the president further stated.
Geingob also noted that Dundee’s investment
is a positive response to the manner in which government continues to
support the promotion of investment in the mining sector by creating a
stable political environment and a conducive business climate.
Construction started in 2013 with N$2.6
billion having been committed to the construction of the acid plant,
while the overall investment in the plant amounts to N$3.9 billion. The
acid plant is expected to produce 230 000 to 280 000 tonnes of sulphuric
acid per year, which will be contained within the acid plant and
transported in approved, safe and secure containers to destinations
nationally.
For over 50 years Tsumeb endured unpleasant
sulphuric dioxide fumes from the smelter operation, which presented
problems in terms of public and occupational health. These concerns led
Cabinet to take a decision in 2011 to conduct an investigation into ways
to resolve the problem, and this process eventually led to the
establishment of an acid plant.
“We saw the challenge and decided to use it
as a business opportunity to use these gases to develop new enterprises
that would improve the environment. This is further an indication of
Dundee’s commitment to improving the environment, investing in the
region, as well as creating employment,” said Dundee’s vice president
and managing director, Zebra Kaseta.
Kaseta said the project is just one of a
series of investments made to upgrade the Tsumeb Smelter to modern
standards.
Calabrian
Corp. to begin public consultation on Timmins sulphur dioxide plant
April
4, 2016 - Calabrian’s application is currently listed with the Ontario
Environmental Registry, which is posted online at http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External.
The EBR (Environmental Bill of Rights) reference number is 012-7078.
The application states that Calabrian is seeking compliance approvals
and will include the addition of new or historically unapproved sources
for all emissions from the sulphur dioxide manufacturing facility
producing sulphur dioxide gas which will be condensed to the liquid
state for storage and shipment. The application includes all
sources at the facility, including:
- two (2) sequential sulphur
dioxide absorbers,
- one (1) cooling tower,
- two (2) natural gas fired
boilers,
- natural gas fired comfort
heating system and
- diesel fired emergency generator.
Emissions to the atmosphere
from this facility include sulphur dioxide, particulate matter and
products of combustion, said the application website. The public
consultation period began in mid-March and will continue through to the
last week of April. Anyone wishing to comment on the Calabrian
application is asked to do so by April 28, 2016. All comments
received before April 28, 2016, will be considered as part of the
decision-making process by the Ministry if they are submitted in writing
or electronically using the form provided in this notice and reference
EBR Registry number 012-7078, said the government website.The
website also notes that all comments and submissions received will
become part of the public record. Participants will not receive a formal
response to your comment, however; relevant comments received as part of
the public participation process for this proposal will be considered by
the decision maker for this proposal, said the website.
Outotec Awardeda Sulphuric Acid Plant
Contract from Boliden Harjavalta
April
1, 2016 - Outotec Oyj
has agreed with the Sweden-based mining and smelting company Boliden on
the main design and delivery of proprietary equipment for a sulfuric
acid plant to be built in connection with the Harjavalta nickel and
copper smelter in Finland. The order has been booked in Outotec’s 2016
first quarter order intake, the value is not disclosed. The
Boliden Harjavalta plant is one of the largest nickel-copper smelters in
Europe. The new gas-cleaning and sulfuric-acid-plant solutions designed
by Outotec will process off-gas from the smelters into high-grade
industrial sulfuric acid. The plant will meet all of the current and
planned European environmental requirements through innovative gas
cleaning, production of sulfuric acid and highly efficient heat recovery
system. In order to recover as much energy as possible, the heat
recovery system uses the surplus heat of the SO2 converter
and turns it into high-pressure steam. The surplus heat from the drying
and absorption section of the acid plant is converted into hot water and
then supplied to the adjacent power plant for further use. The
first construction phase of the sulfuric acid plant is expected to be
operational in May-June 2018.
Sulphur dioxide levels exceed maximum
limit
March 18, 2016 - The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is investigating
recent spikes in sulphur dioxide gas levels recorded by air monitoring
equipment located behind the Hewletts Rd industrial area in Mount
Maunganui. Pollution prevention manager Nick Zaman said the
monitoring equipment had recorded unacceptably high sulphur dioxide
levels on two occasions in recent weeks. "We know there are a number of
sulphur dioxide sources in the area, which include industrial plants
manufacturing fertilisers and processing chemicals as well as shipping
and train activities." Mr Zaman said the council had asked for
monitoring information from local industries and would treat any
breaches of resource consents conditions "very seriously". The
maximum upper limit set by National Environmental Standards for sulphur
dioxide which must not be exceeded is 570 micrograms per cubic metre of
air over a one hour average. The two verified breaches were above
the upper limits, spiking at 628 and 751 micrograms of sulphur dioxide
per cubic metre over a one hour average on February 27 and March 5
respectively. The Pollution Prevention Hotline had received 19
complaints relating to this area in the past 12 months.
The Mar
Camino solution
March 15, 2016 - Copper concentrate is the raw material used to produce
copper ingots. The copper concentrate also contains sulfur. Dry smelting
performed by smelters in Japan like Saganoseki Smelter and Refinery,
remove the sulfur content as a byproduct and process it into sulfuric
acid. Conversely, the wet smelting (solvent
extraction-electrowinning [SX-EW]) method used to produce copper ingots
produces the copper ingots through an electrolytic process from a leach
solution obtained by dispersing sulfuric acid on copper ore. Typically
this method uses large amounts of sulfuric acid. In Chile, the world’s
number one copper producing country, the consumption of sulfuric acid
can be very large depending on the global demand for copper. To
address this supply & demand equation the Mar Camino (Sea Road) was
launched in 2010 as the world’s only sulfuric acid/copper concentrate
ore (bulk) carrier. The copper concentrate of 30% purity produced
from the copper mines of Chile is stowed in the ship’s hold and then
shipped mainly to the Pan Pacific Copper (PPC) Saganoseki Smelter &
Refinery in Oita Prefecture. The by-product concentrated sulfuric acid
produced in the dry smelting process is loaded in a special-purpose tank
and shipped back to Chile, where it is again used in a smelting process
at the copper mine or sold.With “freight” for the otherwise
empty backhaul, the dual purpose Mar Camino thus reduces logistical
costs.
Technip to provide Dorr
roaster system for KGHM’s Polish copper smelter project
February 16, 2016 -
Technip has been selected to provide its Dorr Oliver FluoSolids roaster
system for Poland-based mining company KGHM's Glogow I copper smelter
optimisation project. The 480t per day system will include the roaster,
dry concentrate feeder and calcine cooler, and in-bed steam coils for
cogeneration of electricity. These components will remove organic
carbon and sulphide sulphur from copper concentrate, reduce smelter
emissions and improve copper production at the site. Under the
contract, Technip will also provide erection supervision, commissioning,
and startup, as well as training assistance to KGHM. Scheduled for
completion in 2017, the project will be carried out by Technip's
operating centre in Claremont, California, US. Technip Stone & Webster
Process Technology president Stan Knez said: "Technip's extensive
experience in roasting technology along with our proven ability to meet
a demanding schedule makes us uniquely qualified for this important
project." The Glogow copper smelter produces cathode copper as well as
silver, gold, and concentrates of platinum group metals. Construction
of the refinery began in 1968 and was commissioned in July 1971.
Production capacity during that period was 160,000t of electrolytic
copper per year. Technip recently installed the system at the Koniambo
Nickel in New Caledonia and Vale's Copper Cliff smelter in Ontario,
Canada.
Gecko’s Big Ambitions
February
16, 2016 - Gecko Namibia plans to establish the industrial park at Mile
16 between Swakopmund and Wlotzkasbaken. In August 2012, Cabinet decided
to allocate 700 hectares of land to Gecko Namibia for the envisaged
Vision Industrial Park (VIP). However, the 99-year lease agreement has
not been signed yet. “The contract draft was submitted to the government
for review and we await feedback,” said Pine van Wyk, MD of the Gecko
Group. “The VIP chemical projects are dependent on a large uranium
industry of at least four running mines. The Fukushima event caused
delays in this development with Areva on care and maintenance and still
a very low uranium price,” Van Wyk said. The industrial park entails a
port, a desalination plant, a sulphuric acid plant, a soda ash and
bicarbonate soda plant and a caustic soda and phosphoric acid plant.
Another subsidiary, Gecko Chemicals, will be the holding company of the
chemical factories planned for the Vision Industrial Park. The uranium
mining industry in Namibia currently imports all reagent chemicals
required for leaching processes. Gecko intends producing sulphuric acid
at its VIP plant from imported materials. Dundee Precious Metals
recently constructed its own sulphuric acid plant and will become the
first producer and supplier of sulphuric acid in Namibia. Dundee will
supply Rössing Uranium with sulphuric acid and also the Tschudi copper
mine near Tsumeb. Gecko’s intended acid plant will mainly supply its
envisaged phosphate project, as well as uranium mines. Langer Heinrich
Uranium (LHU) makes use of the alkaline leach process. It requires large
quantities of soda ash, sodium bicarbonate and caustic soda as reagents.
All of these chemicals are presently imported. Manufacturing of these
chemicals can be achieved by using local raw materials such as sea salt
and marble, according to Gecko.
Abuse of dominant position –
commission issues statement of objection
February 11, 2106 - In November 2015 the Competition Protection
Commission issued a statement of objection against Aurubis Bulgaria AD
and Aurubis AG. Based on its preliminary findings, the commission
accused Aurubis of abuse of its dominant position in the Bulgarian
market for the production and sale of sulphuric acid. The commission
accused Aurubis of selling the acid at unjustifiably high prices and
thereby discriminating against its Bulgarian customers in favour of
international clients. The commission began its investigation in
2013 following a claim brought by Agropolychim AD against Aurubis for
abusing its dominant position as a sulphuric acid producer, and against
Aurubis and KCM AD (Plovdiv) – a leading producer of non-ferrous and
precious metals in Southeast Europe and the Black Sea Region – for
concerted practices aimed at sharing the markets for the sale of
sulphuric acid. At the beginning of the investigation the
commission conducted a dawn raid at Aurubis' offices in Pirdop. During
the raid, the commission seized electronic, digital and forensic
evidence from computer hard drives. Aurubis objected that copies of
certain emails between the company and its external lawyers should not
be reviewed by the commission as relevant evidence because they were
subject to legal privilege. Thus, the commission had no right to request
non-confidential versions of the emails to be submitted. Nevertheless,
the commission issued a ruling by which, among other things, it accepted
that the emails were business secrets and Aurubis was obliged to provide
the commission with non-confidential versions in order to assess whether
they were privileged. Aurubis objected to the ruling before the Supreme
Administrative Court. The appeal was considered impermissible
because it was brought against an act of the commission, which alone
could not be appealed before the court. According to the court, the
commission's ruling, that certain information provided by the parties to
the investigation did not qualify as a business secret, could be
appealed separately. However, the court concluded that the commission's
assessment of whether the evidence was relevant to the investigation and
whether it was privileged could be appealed as part of the commission's
final decision only. The investigation is in its second phase.
Aurubis can oppose the statement of objection and propose commitments,
and has the right to be heard by the commission in an open hearing
session. No time limit is envisaged for completion of the investigation.
King Mohammed VI Inaugurates MAD 6.1 billion OCP Projects
February 1, 2016 - King Mohammed VI inaugurated, Monday at the Jorf
Lasfar industrial complex, a fertilizer plant dedicated to the African
Market (Africa Fertilizer Complex) and the first stage of a seawater
desalination plant for an overall budget of 6.1 billion dirhams.
Initiated by Morocco’s Office Cherifien de Phosphate (OCP), these
large-scale projects represent a new embodiment of the Sovereign’s
commitment to south-south cooperation, and his will to support OCP
innovation and sustainable development initiatives, accompany its
industrial strategy and consolidate Morocco’s leadership in the global
phosphates market. Africa fertilizer Complex, which was achieved
upon the instructions of King Mohammed IV, aims to accompany the growth
of African markets through continued and regular supply of fertilizers
(DAP/MAP/NPK). The new plant, which required a budget of 5.3
billion dirhams, consists of a Sulfuric acid plant (1.4 million tons per
year), a phosphoric acid plant (450.000 tons per year), a fertilizer
plant (one million tons of DAP per year), and a 62-megawatt solar
station, and up to 200,000 tons of fertilizers storage infrastructure.
This mega project encourages technological and environmental innovation
in sulfuric acid production through a 10 MW electric energy gain and an
important reduction in seawater consumption. The sulfur dioxide (SO2)
waste was reduced three times compared to international norms. The
seawater desalination plant, which is part of OCP’s “Water” strategy,
aims to meet the additional needs created by the development of
Khouribga-Jorf Lasfar platform without additional demand for
conventional water. The plant, which will be built in three
stages, will reach an annual production of 75 million cubic meters.
These infrastructure projects reaffirm Morocco’s willingness to build
efficient, productive and credible relations with African countries.
They will enable Morocco to have smart leadership on world phosphate
market based on the parameters of productivity, profitability and more
importantly, sustainability.
