Sulphuric Acid -
NEWS
Updated January 5, 2024
2015
Boliden Invests in a New
Sulphuric Acid Plant at Harjavalta
Simplot agrees to pay fine, improve
pollution controls
Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates
Jordan's sulphuric acid plant with Indian stake
Calabrian Announces Its Plans To Build SO2Clean™ Production Facility In
Eastern Canada
Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC Settlement
Etihad Rail moves more than two million tonnes of sulphur to Ruwais
More bad news for Chilean copper producers as
natural disaster strikes
Judge Orders Immediate Removal of Sulphuric
Acid at ARC Terminals
Vale expects to miss 2015 sulpher dioxide
emissions target
DuPont Completes Spin-off of The Chemours
Conpany
Amarinth launch innovative API 610 VS4
vertical sulphur pumps designed specifically for the oil and gas
industry
First Quantum Minerals Reports on the Ramp-Up
Progress of Its New Copper Smelter
European sulphur terminal (Ust-Luga) to be put into operation by year
end, PhosAgro saysWorld’s largest sulfur melting facility
under construction
Capacity
of sulfuric acid production in Uzbekistan will increase by 1.4 timesFeds charge Union Pacific for
2012 sulfuric acid spill in Kansas
Ballance Agri-Nutrients fined $60,000 for releasing a toxic gas
New production facility of
Karabashmed, CJSC, to be launched in summer
Boliden Invests in a New
Sulphuric Acid Plant at Harjavalta
December 17, 2015
-
Boliden continues to
develop its copper-nickel operations as it invests in improved
environmental performance and operational efficiency at its Harjavalta
smelter. The smelter operates two acid plants that produce sulphuric
acid and liquid sulphur dioxide from smelter off-gases formed in the
copper and nickel smelting processes. Boliden has decided to invest in a
new and more efficient acid plant, using best available technology. The
investment program that will run from 2016 to 2019 consists of two
parts, the first and now decided part amounts to €65 million. The total
investment is estimated at €90 million.
“This investment improves our
technical infrastructure, which is fundamental for our long-term
competitive position,” said Timo Rautalahti, general manager Boliden
Harjavalta. “Continuity of the site together with the improved
environmental performance is important for our local community, too.”
With the new plant in
operation, the efficiency and environmental performance of Boliden
Harjavalta will improve in several areas. SO2 emissions will be reduced
by 20%-25 % and cooling water by 40%, as heat is recovered, resulting in
higher energy efficiency. In addition, minor bottlenecks will open,
especially on the copper line, and make future expansion projects
possible on both the copper and nickel line.
Simplot agrees to pay fine, improve
pollution controls
December 3, 2015 - An agreement to make modifications at five sulfuric
acid plants, including the Don Plant in Pocatello, and pay a civil
penalty of $899,000 has resolved a Clean Air Act violations issue
between the J.R. Simplot Co., U.S. Department of Justice and the
Environmental Protection Agency.According to a news release
from the Region 10 EPA office, J.R. Simplot has agreed to spend
approximately $41.5 million on pollution controls to cut sulfur dioxide
emissions at plants in Pocatello, Lathrop, Calif., and Rock Springs,
Wyo. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality will receive
$167,000 of the total civil penalty Simplot has been ordered to pay.
“Today’s settlement is good news for Idaho residents and will result in
significant reductions of sulfur dioxide emissions from Simplot’s
Pocatello plant,” said Dennis McLerran, EPA regional administrator in
Seattle. “Idahoans will breathe cleaner air thanks to the pollution
control improvements Simplot has made and will be making under this
settlement.” Once fully implemented, the settlement will reduce
sulfur dioxide emissions from Simplot’s five sulfuric acid plants by
more than 50 percent for approximately 2,540 tons per year of total
reductions. Upgrades at Simplot’s Pocatello plant will reduce those
emissions by approximately 825 tons per year. Simplot will also
implement a plan to monitor sulfur dioxide emissions continuously at all
five plants.“This settlement helps address public health
risks for local communities in California, Idaho and Wyoming, and
furthers EPA’s commitment to reduce harmful air pollution from the
largest sources,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The system-wide
pollution controls Simplot will install will significantly reduce sulfur
dioxide emissions, which can cause serious respiratory problems and
exacerbate asthma.” EPA and DOJ alleged that Simplot made
modifications at its five sulfuric acid plants without applying for or
obtaining the necessary Clean Air Act permits and “best available
control technology” limits for sulfur dioxide, and for sulfuric acid
mist and fine particles at its sulfuric acid plant in Pocatello.
Short-term exposures to sulfur dioxide can lead to serious respiratory
problems, including constriction of airways in the lungs and increased
asthma symptoms. It is also a precursor to the formation of fine
particulates, which causes a wide variety of health and environmental
impacts, including asthma attacks, reduced lung function, and
aggravation of existing heart disease. This settlement is part of
EPA’s national enforcement initiative to control harmful emissions from
large sources of pollution, which includes acid plants, under the Clean
Air Act’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration requirements. This
will be EPA’s 13th acid settlement under the initiative and the ninth
sulfuric acid settlement. The emission rates secured in this settlement
will result in the best-controlled, system-wide emissions achieved in
any sulfuric acid plant settlement to-date. The consent decree
formalizing the settlement was lodged with the U.S. District Court in
the District of Idaho and is subject to a 30-day public comment period
and final court approval. http://www.idahostatejournal.com/ The
proposed consent decree can be viewed at: http://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
Pranab Mukherjee
inaugurates Jordan's sulphuric acid plant with Indian stake
October 10, 2015 - President Pranab Mukherjee
and Jordananian King Abdullah II today inaugurated the world's largest
sulphuric acid plant, an Indian joint venture built at a cost of $860
million. The joint venture between IFFCO (Indian Farmers
Fertiliser Cooperative Limited) and JPMC (Jordanian Phosphate Mines
Company) plant, which was conceived in 2007, is now operational in the
town of Eshidiya, 325 kms from Jordan's capital city of Amman. The
plant will come as a huge relief to India's agricultural sector
requirements in view of meagre availability of phosphates in India.
Phosphoric acid produced at the plant will be exported to the Kandla
port in Gujarat from Jordan's Aqaba port, which is close to the location
of the plant. International Finance Corporation (IFC) has given a
loan of $335 million to the project in which IFFCO has a 52 per cent
stake. The two leaders inaugurated the plant using remote buttons,
with the project and workers.
Calabrian Announces Its Plans To
Build SO2Clean™ Production Facility In Eastern Canada
October 9, 2015 - Calabrian Corporation, the leading producer of
liquid Sulfur Dioxide in North America, announced today it is building a
liquid Sulfur Dioxide production facility in Eastern Canada. The
facility will serve the local mining, paper and water treatment
markets. Site development and construction will begin immediately and
production is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2016.The
new plant will utilize Calabrian's proprietary production process,
SO2Clean™, which is virtually emission free, reliable and capital
efficient. With local production and the best technology in the
industry, Calabrian will be able to provide customers with the highest
levels of customer service and address their enterprise risk management
concerns. "Following the shutdown of Sulfur Dioxide
production in Sudbury and Kidd Creek in recent years, Eastern
Canada consumers of Sulfur Dioxide have experienced supply challenges.
We look forward to serving these markets by reducing transportation
complexity and risk in a more economical way," said Randy Owens, CEO of
Calabrian. Calabrian has secured long-term lease rights to an
industrial site in the City of Timmins, Ontario. Randy Owens added,
"The City of Timmins has been a great development partner for us and we
look forward to becoming a part of their business community. Our
investment would not have been possible without the support of the
Timmins Economic Development Corporation, City of Timminsstaff and City
Council.""We welcome this new partnership with Calabrian,
which brings with it the addition of skilled manufacturing jobs to
support Canada'smining industry. We look forward to the positive
economic impact it will have in our community. I would like to thank the
management at Calabrian, local staff at Timmins Economic Development
Corporation, Ontario Northland Transportation Commission and City Hall
staff for helping highlight what our great city has to offer new
industry," said Steven Black, Mayor of Timmins.Calabrian's
geographic expansion into Eastern Canada follows its capacity addition
at its site in Port Neches, Texas, which was completed in
2014. Calabrian is utilizing that capacity to serve customers in Eastern
Canada and will continue to do so until the new facility is
commissioned. After start-up of the Eastern Canada facility, Port
Neches will resume its focus on existing customer volumes, market
growth, as well as new and existing derivatives. Additionally,
Calabrian announced today the execution of a Sulfur Dioxide Distribution
Agreement with Univar Canada Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Univar
Inc., to service the mining industry on an exclusive basis. "The
Calabrian and Univar partnership is founded on common principles whereby
Calabrian brings manufacturing excellence and Univar brings logistics,
distribution and mining industry services, the combination of which will
create a reliable supplier to mining customers in Eastern Canada,"
said Randy Owens. "With this new partnership, we are excited
to further expand our portfolio, strengthen our position, and help us
better serve mining customers in the region," said Barry McGee, VP
Business Development, Univar Canada. "Univar is the largest chemical
distributor inCanada, and our team has been growing and expanding to
serve mining industry customers and suppliers from Quebec to British
Columbia, and we are excited to bring this new offering to our valued
customers."
October 9, 2015 - Following months of working with the Timmins Economic
Development Corporation (TEDC) and city staff, Calabrian Corporation
announced that it is building a new liquid sulfur dioxide (SO2CLEANTM)
production facility in the City of Timmins.At full capacity,
the facility is expected to employ 20 peopleThe new industry
announcement was made Friday.According to the company's
website, “Calabrian Corporation is a leading supplier of sulfur dioxide
and related derivatives used in wastewater treatment and other
applications. The company manufactures sulfur dioxide and downstream
derivatives such as sodium bisulfite solution, sodium metabisulfite,
sodium thiosulfate, and sodium sulfite solution. Its products are used
in a broad range of industrial and municipal wastewater treatment
applications to achieve compliance with federal and local water
regulations, as well as other specialty applications in personal care,
pulp and paper processing, food preservation, oilfield production,
mining, and disinfection.”Timmins Mayor Steve Black stated in
a release issued by the city on Friday, “We welcome this new partnership
with Calabrian, which brings with it the addition of skilled
manufacturing jobs to support Canada’s mining industry and aligns with
the Northern Growth Plan. We look forward to the positive economic
impact it will have in our community. I would like to thank the
management at Calabrian, local staff at TEDC, Ontario Northland
Transportation Commission, and city hall for helping highlight what our
great city has to offer new industry.”Production is expected
to commence in the fourth quarter of 2016, and once at full capacity,
the plant will create 20 new positions.Calabrian is also
working with the local Bestech Engineering office to design the site.“The
City of Timmins has been a great development partner for us and we look
forward to becoming a part of their business community,” said Randy
Owens, chief executive of Calabrian. “Our investment would not have been
possible without the support of the Timmins Economic Development
Corporation, City of Timmins staff and city council.”
Representatives
from Calabrian will be introduced by Mayor Black during his State of the
City address on Oct. 21, at the Days Inn in Timmins.
Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC
Settlement
October 1, 2015 - EPA and the
U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement with Mosaic
Fertilizer, LLC that will ensure the proper treatment, storage, and
disposal of an estimated 60 billion pounds of hazardous waste at six
Mosaic facilities in Florida and two in Louisiana. The settlement
resolves a series of alleged violations by Mosaic, one of the world’s
largest fertilizer manufacturers, of the federal Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA), which provides universal guidelines for how
hazardous waste must be stored, handled and disposed. The 60 billion
pounds of hazardous waste addressed in this case is the largest amount
ever covered by a federal or state RCRA settlement and will ensure that
wastewater at Mosaic’s facilities is properly managed and does not pose
a threat to groundwater resources.
The 60 billion pounds of
hazardous waste is based on the combined amount of corrosive wastewaters
that will be treated at terminal closure of the facilities. Mosaic is
one of the fertilizers industry’s best performers in its ability to
reduce large volumes of corrosive wastewater in its phosphogypsum stack
systems. In addition to recovering valuable phosphate and other
compounds, Mosaic is able to reduce terminal closure costs while
ensuring that its phosphogypsum stack systems are operated in an
environmentally safe manner. Four Mosaic facilities (New Wales,
Bartow, Riverview in Florida and Uncle Sam in Louisiana) will continue
to produce phosphoric acid and actively utilize its phosphogypsum stack
systems. Mosaic is in the closure process for the Green Bay Complex and
South Pierce facility in Florida, and the Faustina facility in
Louisiana. However, Faustina will continue to manufacture ammoniated
fertilizer. Mosaic operated a small sulfuric acid plant at the Mulberry
facility in Florida for a short time. The Mulberry sulfuric acid plant
was closed around 2008 and there are no obligations regarding this site
in this settlement.
Mosaic has been making
major improvements at all its facilities and completed several notable
projects: installation of state-of-the-art elementary neutralization
units to improve the management of sulfuric acid waste streams,
upgrading air scrubbers at its granulation and phosphoric acid plants,
and installing automated spill and leak detection systems. All of these
projects have been closely monitored by Florida Department of
Environmental Protection, and Louisiana Department of Environmental
Protection, who provided valuable expertise at each step of the process.
TransNamib buys 90 sulphuric acid
rail tankers for US$10 million
September 30, 2015 - TransNamib has agreed to purchase 90 sulphuric acid
rail tankers for US$10 million from China Railway Materials (CRM) Hong
Kong. Acting CEO of TransNamib Hippy Tjivikua and chairman of the Board
of Directors of CRM Hong Kong, Hu Zhengyong, signed the purchase
agreement last week. According to the agreement, TransNamib can
expect delivery of the tankers in July next year. The tankers are made
according to specifications of the Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb acid
plant to maximise operational efficiency and safety. This latest
acquisition follows a previous purchase of tankers from CRM Hong Kong,
which TransNamib says are currently still in use. Like the six
locomotives TransNamib recently acquired from General Electric, the 90
sulphuric acid tankers will be deployed to execute the 10-year sulphuric
acid rail transport agreement TransNamib entered into with Dundee
Precious Metals Tsumeb. Experts estimate the agreement to be worth
billions of dollars. “Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb has approved
the technical specifications and quality of the tankers and they are
quite happy to receive the delivery as promised by China Railway
Materials Hong Kong by July 2016,” Tjivikua said. Following a
rigorous procurement process, which started about three years ago, the
negotiations and development of the purchase agreement was sanctioned by
the TransNamib governance structures. “Our shareholder, the
Namibian government through the Ministry of Works and Transport,
supported the process and acquisition of the 90 sulphuric acid rail
tankers and we regard our partnership with our shareholder as healthy as
ever,” Tjivikua confirmed. “The execution of this agreement is an
important milestone in the fulfillment of TransNamib’s obligations to
transport sulphuric acid from Tsumeb to Arandis, as part of our 10-year
agreement with Dundee Precious Metal Tsumeb,” the acting CEO of
TransNamib remarked. The chairman of CRM Hong Kong expressed
satisfaction with his company’s relationship with TransNamib. “Our
relationship comes a long way and TransNamib has already bought good
quality wagons from China Railway Materials before and we are pleased to
learn that TransNamib is indeed satisfied with the wagons. We want to
assure the Namibian public that these 90 sulphuric acid rail tankers
will be of excellent quality and TransNamib will receive a return on
this investment,” Hu Zhengyong said.
Etihad Rail moves
more than two million tonnes of sulphur to Ruwais
September 28, 2015 -
Etihad Rail has transported more than two million tonnes of sulphur from
Shah and Habshan in the hydrocarbon-rich Western Region to the port of
Ruwais over the past year. The company, established in 2009 to
develop the UAE’s freight and passenger railway networks, said yesterday
that it had made the shipments – the equivalent of 66,000 truck trips –
over the past 12 months during trial operations. Since the
264-kilometre first phase of the railway network was completed last
year, Etihad Rail’s operating partner ERDB has been running freight
trials on a daily basis, transporting the sulphur, a major byproduct of
oil and gas production, for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc).
Etihad Rail said that full commercial operations were expected to start
“shortly” once the company has been granted its regulatory approvals.
When this happens the amount of sulphur transported by rail is expected
to more than triple, with Etihad Rail aiming to shift 7 million tonnes
of sulphur every year for Adnoc once it enters into full commercial
operations. Sulphur is produced in massive amounts in sour
gasfields as hydrogen sulphide is removed from the gas before it can be
exploited. This means that the UAE is expected to produce close to
10 million tonnes a year of sulphur, making the country the world’s top
producer of the element. The sulphur will be exported to fertiliser
plants around the world. The amount of sulphur expected to be
produced from the Shah field alone is close to 3 million tonnes a year,
equivalent to the yearly production of sulphur for the entire country of
Japan. Etihad Rail’s fleet currently comprises seven locomotives
and 240 hopper wagons which transport the granulated sulphur from two
plants in Shah and Habshan to the sulphur handling terminal at Ruwais.
“Transporting more than 2 million tonnes of sulphur in the past year
clearly demonstrates Etihad Rail’s unique value proposition as a
reliable, safe and environmentally friendly mode of transport,” said
Faris Saif Al Mazrouei, Etihad Rail’s chief executive.The
Dh40 billion Etihad Rail project is being built in three main stages.
Eventually the network will stretch 1,200km across the UAE, connecting
each of the seven emirates with a GCC-wide railway network.
Economists say that the new network should enable the UAE’s
manufacturers to expand more quickly.“Improvements to
infrastructure are certainly important for economic growth, and [Etihad
Rail] should help to support the movement of goods and people around the
region,” said Jason Tuvey, an emerging markets economist at Capital
Economics. “The project will help companies to move raw materials, which
should help heavy industries in the Gulf, and bring down costs.” A
second phase connecting Jebel Ali in Dubai with Khalifa Port in Abu
Dhabi is also planned. Contracts to undertake work on the 628km freight
phase of the railway line were first tendered in 2012 but so far none
have been awarded.
More bad
news for Chilean copper producers as natural disaster strikes
September 18, 2015 - A powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.3, hit
Chile on 16 September 2015. This has led the major copper producers,
Codelco and Antofagasta PLC, to suspend operations at their Andina and
Los Pelambres mines, threatening more than 600,000 tonnes of annual
capacity. Codelco also chose to evacuate its workers at its smaller Las
Ventanas refining and smelting division, as well as at the two ports of
Mejillones and Barquito. Although other producers in the region, Anglo
American PLC and BHP Billiton, confirmed they were unaffected by the
earthquake, this comes as a further hit to the region following the
strikes at Codelco and protests at Los Pelambres in recent months. As a
result, these supply scares have meant that copper prices on the London
Metal Exchange (LME) rose to two-month highs in early Asian trading on
17 September. The concerns about falling Chinese demand have fallen into
the background as speculators realise the disruption to the world’s
largest copper resource, Chile. This is potentially highly disruptive to
the sulphuric acid market, impacting demand, while the mines are out of
operation, and potentially supply if smelters also see a knock on impact
due to any copper concentrates supply issues. The market has been long
in Chile in recent months, with the net importer turning to sulphuric
acid exports to markets such as Brazil in order to balance overflowing
product at Mejillones. This was a contributing factor to the recent
downward price pressure for sulphuric acid benchmarks. The disruption in
Chile could lead to prices stabilising, particularly with copper prices
rising. However, should shipments to the port of Mejillones be impacted,
this could mean excess product becomes available in the market, further
dampening price prospects. Integer expects to see a steady decline in
sulphuric acid demand in Chile in the coming years as copper mining sees
cut backs in operation, with a decline of 2.5% year-on-year between 2015
and 2025.
www.integer-research.com
Judge Orders Immediate Removal of
Sulphuric Acid at ARC Terminals
On Monday, a judged ruled that ARC Terminals must immediately remove all
Sulphuric acid they’ve been illegally storing at their facility since
February. Attorneys for ARC Terminals said they had no intention
to dispute the order and were willing to comply. “We intend to
have the product removed from our terminal in the safest manner that our
operation protocols will allow. Safety, as always, will be our primary
focus,” said Allen Wentz, a Safety and Environmental Manager at ARC.
“While the product has been stored at our facility, it has at all times
been stored safely and without incident. I would like to clear up the
perception that we were holding millions of gallons of this product.
That is not accurate,” Wentz said. City Attorney Ricardo Woods
said that the reason they filed the order Monday is because it otherwise
would be tied up in Environmental court for months, and the city felt
that it was a safety concern to have the chemical on the property.
During the hearing, debate ensued over what exactly “immediate” means.
The judge finally ruled that “immediate” means as quickly as possible,
which for ARC Terminals, is about 4 weeks. ARC attorneys said that
they have to transport the chemical by trucks, which are owned by their
customer, Sulphuric Acid Trading Company (SATCO). As of Monday
afternoon, SATCO’s
website boasts that they have a
brand new sulphuric acid storage tank in Mobile. WKRG called SATCO’s
general manager, but did not receive a response. Wentz apologized
to the city and the public for ARC Terminal’s lack of communication
throughout this process and said they did not intentionally mean to
deceive anyone. Wentz said they are conducting an internal review
to determine who is responsible for filing the permit application that
failed to mention they were already storing acid on site. “We
regret the situation and any miscommunications around the storage of
this product in our terminal, and we sincerely apologize to the mayor,
to the city council, as well as the broader mobile community,” Wentz
said. Woods said the city will continue to fine ARC Terminals $298
dollars each day that there is acid on their property. He also said they
will be working closely with the company to ensure that they are moving
swiftly and safely to remove the chemical. “What we’ll ask for is
that they give weekly reports. So, those weekly reports will probably be
submitted to you [media] and the city to make sure the removal is being
taken place in safe manner,” Woods said.
Chemical Leak Shuts Down Race Track
After More Than a Dozen Sickened
Spectators at a racetrack in Indiana were sickened by a sulfur dioxide
leak on Saturday. As many as 18 people were admitted to a local
hospital, complaining of irritable breathing and burning skin. The
small, dirt track was evacuated and the event was shut down.
Authorities say the chemical was sulfur dioxide and they blame a
neighboring facility owned by the Hydrite Chemical Company. Terre
Haute Fire Battalion Chief Joe Swan said, “We believe Hydrite’s got
everything shot down and there’s no leaks at this time.”
Vale expects to miss 2015 sulpher
dioxide emissions target
July 20, 2015 - Nickel giant Vale doesn't expect to meet its sulphur
dioxide emission targets this year, a decade after they were set.
Vale was granted a five-year extension, and has until the end of this
year to get its annual emissions down to 66 kilotonnes. The
company reports it's currently emitting about 150 kilotonnes, but is
aiming to be down to 20 kilotonnes by 2018 — when $1 billion worth of
upgrades are completed at its Copper Cliff smelter. "There's going
to be a couple steps," said Dan Legrand, Vale's director of process
technology. "The big one will occur in 2018 when we start
capturing all of the converter gas." Vale has made other changes
to its emissions process — racking up government credits that allow it
to miss the emissions deadline without penalty. The Ministry of
the Environment is keeping a close watch. "I think it's important
that the company continue to work towards getting down to that 66
kilotonne limit," said ministry district manager Brian Cameron.
Meanwhile, the pressure is on for smelter operations support manager
Mike Zanini, who's supervising the upgrades as smelting continues.
"We like to use the analogy that it's like trying to do open heart
surgery — still trying to produce and keep everything going through the
plant, while trying to modernize and upgrade at the same time," he said.
That "surgery" is expected to continue until 2018, when Zanini said they
expect "to have the majority of those emissions reductions delivered."
DuPont Completes Spin-off of The Chemours Conpany
July 1, 2015 -
Today DuPont announced
it has completed the separation of its Performance Chemicals segment
through the spin-off of The Chemours
Company (Chemours). Chemours begins
"regular way" trading today on the New
York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under
the symbol "CC". Today DuPont common stockholders receive one share of
common stock of Chemours for
every five shares of DuPont common
stock they held at5:00 p.m. ET on June
23, 2015. DuPont common
stockholders will receive cash in lieu of fractional shares of Chemours.
"Today's successful spin-off advances DuPont's transformation
to a higher growth, higher value, global science and innovation
company," said DuPont Chair and Chief Executive Officer Ellen
Kullman.
"We are now fully focused on markets where our science gives the company
a distinct competitive advantage, enabling DuPont to
drive higher, more stable growth.
"The next generation DuPont is
leaner and more efficient, better able to capitalize on key capabilities
that help solve major global challenges and enable our customers to
provide plentiful, healthier food; renewably sourced advanced materials;
ample energy; better infrastructure and transportation," said Kullman.
"As we move forward, we are committed to continuing to execute our
strategy to deliver value for shareholders today, while positioning DuPont for
a successful future."
Amarinth launch innovative API 610 VS4 vertical sulphur pumps designed
specifically for the oil and gas industry
Amarinth, a leading company specialising in
the design, application and manufacture of centrifugal pumps and
associated equipment to the Oil & Gas, petrochemical, chemical,
industrial and renewable energy markets, has invested over £1M in
designing and launching a new reliable low-maintenance range of API 610
VS4 vertical sulphur pumps for the oil and gas industry.
Elemental (pure) sulphur is a valuable
by-product recovered during the refinement of oil and gas and is sold on
to be used in the manufacture of many products including fertilisers,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals, asphalt and concrete. The sulphur is
extracted and transported around the processing plant in liquid form at
a temperature of some 140C. However, sulphur only remains in its liquid
state suitable for pumping within a narrow temperature band of
approximately ±20C. At lower temperatures the liquid will start to
revert to a solid and at higher temperatures its viscosity actually
increases due to the formation of polymers, all of which creates unique
challenges for sulphur pumps. To date, many sulphur pumps have been
simple adaptions of VS4 vertical pumps or other standard designs but
these have brought with them maintenance and reliability issues for
operators.
Three years ago, Amarinth decided to draw on
its extensive expertise in designing bespoke pumping solutions for the
oil and gas industry and apply this knowledge to produce an API 610 VS4
vertical pump that could meet the challenges of reliably pumping molten
sulphur. Amarinth first undertook a detailed study of existing sulphur
pumps (usually simple adaptions of existing designs) and how they were
used and maintained to determine where issues occurred. Users reported
high incidents of bearing failures, shaft problems and having to run
significantly shorter maintenance periods to try and minimize failures,
all of which resulted in increased downtime for the plants.
To deliver a robust, reliable and easily
maintainable pump, Amarinth then embarked on an 18 month design and test
study resulting in a pump which includes:
- A new arrangement for the shaft bearings
and lubrication film which reduces the previous bearing and shaft issues
operators had reported.
- Redesigned jacket to maintain the
temperature of the molten sulphur and hence its viscosity, reducing the
solidification of the sulphur around the pump particularly when it’s
lifted for maintenance.
- New design of impeller optimised for best efficiency for molten
sulphur.
- Amarinth’s proven modular column design that enables the rapid
production of bespoke pump lengths and greatly simplifies maintenance
and removal of the pump.
- Improved access so that regular maintenance can be completed quickly
and with less disruption to the associated pipework and plant.
Following three years and an investment of
over £1M, Amarinth has now launched its new range of API 610 VS4
vertical sulphur pumps giving oil and gas operators for the first time a
cost-effective, efficient and reliable pump for the transportation of
molten sulphur from point of extraction to ongoing processing.
Oliver Brigginshaw, Managing Director of
Amarinth, commented: “We are delighted to add these sulphur pumps to our
range of pumps for the oil and gas industry. Drawing on our many years
of experience with vertical pumps it is the culmination of three years
research and development by our team of dedicated engineers and we look
forward to leveraging the technologies we have pioneered on this project
into other products to deliver even more effective pumping solutions for
other applications.” www.amarinth.com
First Quantum Minerals Reports on the Ramp-Up Progress of Its New Copper
Smelter
June 25, 2015 - First Quantum Minerals Ltd.
is pleased to provide the following update on the ramp-up progress of
its new copper smelter in Zambia.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- The ramp-up continues to progress well
ahead of expectations.
- Since the start of hot operations in
mid-February 2015, daily throughput of copper concentrate has steadily
increased.
- The daily copper concentrate throughput
currently averages 3,000 tonnes with periods in excess of the 3,500
tonnes per day nameplate capacity.
- Feed to the smelter is currently comprised
of a mixture of stockpiled and fresh concentrate from our Kansanshi mine
and fresh concentrate from our new Sentinel mine.
- The benefits to Kansanshi are increasing as
the ramp-up progresses:
- Its concentrate inventory has
been reduced to 29,600 tonnes of contained copper from 59,900 tonnes at
the end of the first quarter of 2015,
- over 180,000 tonnes of
sulphuric acid have been produced by the smelter and used in the mine's
oxide and mixed circuits and,
- the mine's C1 cost of
production has been lowered to between $1.36 to $1.25 per pound from an
average of $1.77 in the first quarter of 2015.
- Training for the 600-person workforce is
well advanced.
- Given the progress to date, commercial
production is expected to be declared in the third quarter of 2015 -
ahead of the previous expectation of the first quarter 2016.
CEO'S COMMENTS
"We are very pleased with the performance of
the smelter. The achievement of over 100% of nameplate capacity, in just
three months from startup, is unprecedented. It is a credit to the
design and project teams and illustrates the strong capabilities of the
operations management and staff," noted Philip Pascall, First Quantum's
Chairman and CEO."The smelter's value to our Kansanshi mine in
particular is already very evident. For the first time in several years,
the mine is able to operate without the constraints of limited
availability and widely-fluctuating sulphuric acid prices and the lack
of smelter capacity in Zambia."At our new Sentinel mine, commercial
production on the entire facility is expected in the third quarter 2015
following delivery of the full power requirement which is on track for
August. This, together with the smelter will complete a significant
phase in the expansion of our production capacity," Mr. Pascall
concluded.
European sulphur terminal (Ust-Luga) to be put into operation by year
end, PhosAgro says
European sulphur terminal will be put into operation by the end of 2015,
IAA PortNews correspondent cites PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev, as saying
at the ceremony of launching Smart Bulk Terminal for transshipment of
PhosAgro fertilizers.
“The first storage facility has been built, the second one nears
completion. The terminal has already handled 0.5 mln t of cargo”, Andrey
Guryev also said.
According to Andrey Guryev, the terminal will be fully operational in
late December 2015.
Under long-term contract PhosAgro is building new terminal facilities
with the first phase of 100,000 t in capacity to be launched in summer
2015. Via this terminal, PhosAgro plans to transship and sell at least 1
mln t of fertilizers per year with a possibility to load containers onto
Panamax ships and store products free of charge.
European sulphur terminal is located at commercial seaport of Ust-Luga
(Luga Bay, south-east of the Gulf of Finland). The terminal’s hi-tech
equipment can handle granulated and lump sulphur. Design capacity of the
terminal is 4.5 mln t per year, depth at the berths – 16 m, wharf length
- 500 m. The terminal is able to accommodate vessels of up to 70,000 in
displacement.
World’s largest sulfur melting
facility under construction
June 11, 2015 - evco has been awarded a project that will include full
turnkey plant delivery of what will be the world’s largest sulfur
melter. The melter facility is being built for The Mosaic Company, the
world’s largest supplier of phosphate and potash with approximately 8900
employees in eight countries.Devco is utilising core process technology
by CTI Consulting out of New Orleans, Louisiana. Devco has a long
working partnership with CTI, most recently providing a US$78 million
sulfur purification facility for the Mishraq State Sulphur Company,
Iraqi Minister of Industry. ISTI Plant Services from Tulsa, Oklahoma
will provide fabrication and some construction activities for the
project both in Tulsa, and at the site near Lakeland, Florida. Devco has
worked with ISTI on multiple large scale natural gas processing
facilities built in ISTI’s fabrication facility in Tulsa, and installed
in Texas and Louisiana.
Capacity
of sulfuric acid production in Uzbekistan will increase by 1.4 times
April 1, 2015 - The capacity of sulfuric acid production in Uzbekistan
will increase by 1.4 times, from 950 metric tons to 1,300 metric tons
per year by 2020, according to the decree of Uzbekistan’s Cabinet of
Ministers. The government decree envisages increasing the capacity
by constructing new sulfuric acid producing facilities (with capacity of
650,000 metric tons per year each) at Ammofos-Maxam JSC and Navoi Mining
and Metallurgical Combine. It is planned to commission the
facilities at Ammofos-Maxam and Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine
in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Meanwhile, the outdated facilities
for sulfuric acid production will be decommissioned at Ammofos-Maxam
(with capacity of 500,000 metric tons per year) and Navoi Mining and
Metallurgical Combine (450,000 metric tons per year). It is
planned to finance the projects with the own funds of the Uzhimprom
State Joint Stock Company, Uzbek Fund for Reconstruction and
Development, loans from local and foreign banks, own funds of
Ammofos-Maxam and Navoi Combine. However, the cost of the projects
is not specified in the government decree. The general contractors
for construction of the facilities on a “turnkey” basis will be
determined through closed tenders. Ammofos-Maxam JSC, commissioned
in 1969, is the largest of the three chemical enterprises producing
phosphate fertilizers in Uzbekistan. The design capacity allows to
produce over 338,000 metric tons of ammophos, 500,000 metric tons of
sulfuric acid and 417,000 metric tons of wet-process phosphoric acid per
year. Spanish MAXAM Corp. obtained 49 percent of the enterprise’s
share for $18 million and investment commitments worth $30 million in
January 2008. The state is the owner of 51 percent of the block of
shares. Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine is one of the
largest gold producers in Central Asia. The combine is fully owned by
the state. The annual production volume nears $2 billion.
Feds charge Union Pacific for 2012 sulfuric acid spill in Kansas
March
30, 2015 - Feds charge Union Pacific for 2012 sulfuric acid spill in
Kansas. Charge alleges railroad spilled 114,297 pounds of sulfuric
acid from railcar in Herington into Lime Creek. Federal
prosecutors have filed a misdemeanor charge against Union Pacific
Railroad over a 2012 spill of sulfuric acid in Kansas. A criminal
information filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Kansas alleges the
railroad spilled 114,297 pounds of sulfuric acid from a railcar in
Herington into Lime Creek. Such documents are filed with the consent of
the defendant and typically indicate that a plea deal is in the works.
Email and phone messages left for a spokesman at Union Pacific were not
immediately returned. The railroad is charged with one count of
violating the Federal Water Pollution Control Act for the Jan. 8, 2012
incident. If convicted, the railroad is subject to a maximum fine
of $200,000 per violation.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients fined $60,000 for releasing a toxic gas
March 26, 2015 - A fertiliser manufacturer has been fined $60,000 for
releasing a toxic gas into the air which caused nearby workers to
experience coughing, sore throats and breathing problems. Ballance
Agri-Nutrients was slapped with the fine during its Tauranga District
Court sentencing on Monday after pleading guilty to breaching the
Resource Management Act by releasing sulphur dioxide from its Mount
Maunganui plant. In May last year, two Port of Tauranga workers
noticed a gas smell when they opened a window and called security.
Nine workers suffered watering eyes, sore throats, coughing and
breathing difficulties and one sought medical attention. The
company found the shift engineer had made an error by not reducing the
sulphur pump to the recommended level when restarting the acid plant,
causing excess sulphur dioxide to spill out of the plant. As the
gas cooled, it fell to the ground and affected the nearby port staff.
The company was fined $35,000 in 1999 after a similar incident which saw
several people taken to hospital with breathing difficulties.
Judge Jeff Smith said the offending wasn't wilful but was the result of
human error. It had been caused by Ballance's failure to fit a
device to the plant which would ensure the sulphur pump level was
automatically re-set. Bay of Plenty Regional Council pollution
prevention manager Nick Zaman said the case showed that businesses
needed to be proactive when managing environmental risks - especially
when it could have a significant impact on public health. Fertiliser
manufacturer Ballance Agri-Nutrients has been fined $60,000 for a
discharge of sulphur dioxide into the air in May last year. Bay of
Plenty Regional Council prosecuted the company in Tauranga District
Court for breaching the Resource Management Act. The charge arose
from an incident in May last year when Port workers suffered breathing
difficulties, watering eyes, sore throats and coughing from a discharge
of sulphur dioxide from Ballance's plant. Ballance Agri-Nutrients
chief executive Mark Wynne said the company had since taken steps to
prevent the same situation re-occurring. On 4 May 2014 two
employees at the Port noticed the smell of gas, and after experiencing
ill effects when they opened a window they notified Port security.
Three fire engines attended, and the gas was traced to the nearby
Ballance plant on Hewletts Road. Nine Port workers were affected,
one sought medical attention, and the Regional Council was notified that
afternoon. The company's investigation showed that there had been
an error by the shift engineer in not reducing the sulphur pump to the
recommended level when restarting the acid plant, causing excessive
sulphur dioxide to be discharged from the plant's stack. As the
cloud of sulphur dioxide cooled it fell to the ground, affecting the
Port staff. The fertiliser plant has been operating from the Mount
Maunganui site since 1958, with substantial changes in the size and
nature of the operations since then, as well as in the surrounding area.
The plant is a major source of sulphur dioxide emissions in the area,
because the chemical is produced as part of the manufacturing process
for super phosphate. There had been a similar incident at the
fertiliser plant in 1999, when several people were taken to hospital
with breathing difficulties following an excessive discharge of sulphur
dioxide. The company (then known as BOP Fertiliser Limited) was
fined $35,000. Ballance had also been warned by the Regional Council
following excessive sulphur dioxide discharges in April 2007.
Judge Jeff Smith said that the Ballance fertiliser plant was within a
sensitive environment close to the Port and busy roads, and there was a
risk of effects on the public from the plant, particularly people
working in the open. The offending was not wilful but was the
result of a human error and Ballance's failure to have a device fitted
to the plant to ensure the sulphur pump level was automatically re-set
when the plant shut down. Judge Smith said it was important to
deter discharges of this nature and protect community health.
Ballance was given credit for its early guilty plea. No credit was given
for previous good character due to the earlier conviction for a similar
discharge from the site and subsequent compliance issues. Bay of
Plenty Regional Council Pollution Prevention Manager Nick Zaman said the
prosecution demonstrated the importance of businesses being proactive.
"While it is pleasing to see that Ballance enhanced its safety systems
following the incident, this prosecution demonstrates the importance of
ensuring that environmental risks are managed proactively, particularly
where an industrial activity can have a significant impact on public
health." Ballance Agri-Nutrients chief executive Mark Wynne said
he shared the community's concerns regarding environmental safety.
Mr Wynne said the company accepted the fine imposed by the court
following an accidental discharge of sulphur dioxide into the air in May
last year."The incident happened and we can't change that.
What we can do, and have done, is take full responsibility and take
every practical step to prevent this from happening again. "We
treat any incidents very seriously and we are completely confident we
have minimised the risk of sulphur dioxide discharges at our Mount
Maunganui site. "During the incident our systems shut the plant
just as they were designed to do. The key change now is that our safety
shutdown systems now cut off at an even lower limit." Mr Wynne
said Ballance's environmental performance had been steadily improving,
and was far superior to what it was a decade ago. Ballance has
invested millions of dollars in environmental, safety and operating
upgrades at its Mount Maunganui superphosphate manufacturing plant since
2001. Following the May incident, additional automated safety equipment
has been installed and other equipment upgraded. "These changes
followed an immediate and thorough internal investigation supported by
expert advice, so we have every assurance our response has been robust."
"As part of our commitment to safety and environment we also undertake
annual external audits of our operation here at the Mount to hold
ourselves to the highest possible standards." The Mount site is
accredited to ACC's highest tertiary level and the international
environmental management standard ISO 14001. "We live here too -
this is our community. The last thing we want to do is put our people,
community or environment at risk."
New production facility
of Karabashmed, CJSC, to be launched in summer
March 19, 2015 -
In June 2015, a new sulfuric
acid production facility of Karabashmed, CJSC (a member of Russian
Copper Company Group), will be put into production. Currently, rail tank
car washing station, transformer substation and 6 kV switchgear are
commissioned. There will be 137 employees working at the new production
facility. The construction progress has been assessed by the
Chelyabinsk Region Governor Boris Dubrovsky. The Press Service of
RCC has informed RusBusinessNews that the construction of this new
production facility is designed with almost full utilization (99.9%) of
sour gases from metallurgical production and decommissioning of the old
sulfuric acid manufacture. With the new production, the output of
blister copper is expected to reach 120 thousand tons per year, and the
sulfuric acid output, up to 640 thousand tons. As the production
develops, Karabashmed increases its investments in Karabash region
social projects. The investment amounted to 23 million rubles in 2013,
and 29 million rubles in 2014.
