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An awfully big adventure

Summary

Outgoing Fertilizer International editor Mark Evans reminisces about a long, successful and colourful career with incoming editor Simon Inglethorpe.

Abstract

Interestingly, as he steps down from his long stint at the helm of Fertilizer International, Mark Evans says an early love of travel, youthful idealism, and parental encouragement, all helped forge a successful career later in life. “As I come to the end of my career and reflect, several things in my earlier life do seem to have coalesced very happily and made for a very, very fulfilling job,” Mark recalls. Keywords: British Sulphur, IFA

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The 2015 Francis New lecture: Moving from volume to value

Summary

Dr Amit Roy presented the 2015 Francis New Lecture at the International Fertiliser Society's annual meeting in London in June.

Abstract

The International Fertiliser Society (IFS) was set up in 1947 to provide a forum for the technical, economic and agronomic aspects of fertilizer production. Every two years, the IFS pays tribute to the memory of Dr Francis New, the pioneering secretary of the society, by awarding the Francis New Medal to a prominent figure in the industry. The award is made to individuals whose outstanding contribution has benefitted the whole fertilizer sector. The award can be for technical issues relating to production and distribution, or for matters concerning the use of fertilizers and the environment. It is customary for the winner of the Francis New Medal to present a lecture. The first Francis New Lecture was given in 1959 with subsequent lectures held at two-year intervals ever since. Keywords: International Fertiliser Society (IFS), IFDC, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), urea deep placement (UDP), micronutrient deficiency

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Investors rushing to Russia

Summary

Asian companies and investors are moving into the Russian fertilizer industry, and being warmly welcomed, reports Eugene Gerden.

Abstract

Russian state corporation Rostec and India’s Global Steel Holdings Ltd have unveiled a joint plan to bring large-scale fertilizer production to Russia’s Sakha (Yakutia) Republic in eastern Siberia. Rostec is participating through its subsidiary RT Global Resources. The new plant will be built in Nizhny Bestyakh on the east bank of the Lena River and will specialize in the production of nitrogen fertilizers from natural gas, according to Andrey Panov, head of Yakutia’s Trade and Industry Ministry. India and China look be the main markets for the plant’s output. The two project partners believe that steadily growing demand for natural fertilizers in both emerging and developed countries will also help secure sales. Keywords: Urea, ammonia, Yakutia, Russian Far East, Global Steel Holdings, National Mines Development Corporation (NMDC), Acron, China National Chemical Engineering Co Ltd, National Chemical Group (NChG)

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Nutrients for sweet success

Summary

Getting the best yield and quality from sugar beet and sugar cane growing requires the right balance of macro- and micro nutrients.

Abstract

Demand for sugar remains strong with the global market continuing to grow at a time when production is falling. USDA predicts that world consumption will hit a record 173.4 million tonnes in 2015/16. This will bring it level with global production which is forecast to decline for the third consecutive year, down from a peak of around 177 million tonnes in 2012 (Figure 1). Around three quarters of world sugar is derived from sugar cane, the remainder from sugar beet. Sugar cane is cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical countries such as Brazil and India, whereas sugar beet thrives in the temperate climates of North America and Europe (Figure 2). Keywords: Fertilizer recommendations, plant nutrients, micronutrients, sugar beet, sugar cane, Yara, Tessenderlo Chemie, Haifa Group

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Change looms for niche nitrates

Summary

The arrival of new US urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) capacity is poised to disrupt the nitrates market, as Integer Research's lead nitrogen analyst, Laura Cross explains.

Abstract

The 20 million tonnes of nitrogen sold as ammonium nitrate (AN), calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) represents almost 15% of the global nitrogen market. The niche nitrates sector displays a number of distinct differences compared to the urea-dominated mainstream nitrogen market. While the global market for urea has grown robustly by 2-3% annually in recent years, in both fertilizer and non-fertilizer segments, much of the growth in nitrates over the last decade has been driven by demand for industrial explosives. Keywords: Urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), Integer Research, nitrates market, Uhde Mega UAN, ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions, Stamicarbon

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Speedy vessel turnaround: Anytime, anyplace, anywhere

Summary

We look at recent fertilizer port investments in the Baltic, Brazil and India and some advances in bulk handling equipment.

Abstract

Logistics is one of those specialised parts of a business that are rarely noticed when working well. But for an international industry like fertilizers, whose existence depends on massive global flows of raw materials and finished products, the importance of logistics should never be underestimated. The role of logistics as a a vital conduit for the supply of fertilizers is particularly important. Keeping customers satisfied requires the delivery of the right fertilizer product in the correct volume, wherever and whenever it is needed. That makes logistics a critical link in the supply chain between those producing and those consuming fertilizers. Keywords: Bulk handling, logistics, urea, potash, fertilizer terminals, Klaipeda, Paranagua, Kakinada, destination bagging, shiploaders, Loadtec, Nectar Group, Bedeschi

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SYMPHOS 2015 conference report: Celebrating phosphate, prince of nutrients

Summary

Cutting-edge ideas for transforming the phosphates sector were enthusiastically received by delegates at SYMPHOS 2015.

Abstract

OCP held the 3rd International Symposium on Innovation and Technology in the Phosphate Industry, SYMPHOS 2015, in Marrakech, between 18-20 May. Conference organiser Rachid Boulif, OCP’s research and development director, welcomed the 1,200 delegates attending from 45 countries and looked forward to the three-day programme of more than 160 presentations. We report on the keynote plenary presentations below. The full conference proceeding will be published by Elsevier as a Procedia Engineering volume next year. Keywords: SYMPHOS 2015, OCP, Morocco, innovation, sustainability, mining, process industries, climate change, waste, resources, maintenance, operational excellence

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New phosphate rock capacity: Africa and Middle East rise as China stalls

Summary

The global supply of phosphate rock is set to rise by as much as 35 million tonnes by 2019. But where will this new capacity come from and who will provide it?

Abstract

World phosphate rock production has expanded rapidly in the last decade, rising by almost a fifth between 2003 and 2013, with China responsible for almost 90% of rising global output over this period (Figure 1). Definitive annual statistics for 2014 are not out until the autumn. But the latest quarterly figures suggest global phosphate rock production reached 222 million tonnes last year. Provisional Chinese output for 2014 is a massive 120 million tonnes, although IFA thinks the true production figure is likely to be closer to 80 million tonnes. Keywords: IFA, phosphate rock, supply outlook, junior miners, Morocco, China, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, merchant market, CRU

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Different ores, different challenges

Summary

We review the mining and mineral processing of the principal potash ores, sylvite, carnallite, langbeinite and kainite.

Abstract

Potash is the collective name given to the ores, minerals and products which contain the element potassium in a water-soluble form. The term dates from the 1800s and originally referred to potassium carbonate and potassium hydroxide recovered by boiling the washings of wood and leaf ashes in iron pots. Potash minerals were mined Dallol region of Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression as far back as the fourteenth Century. In the west, Germany was the first to discover substantial underground quantities of potash in the Zechstein Basin in the 1850s. Keywords: Froth flotation, hot leaching, crystallisation, heavy media separation, electrostatic separation, resource depletion, K+S, Mosaic, Belaruskali

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