Canadian technology company FuelPositive Corp., Waterloo, Ont., has filed a provisional patent for its new green ammonia add-on module systems.
The systems, once fully commercialized, could enable farmers to independently produce green aqueous ammonia fertilizer on-site. FuelPositive said the ammonia would be produced at a lower cost and with lower GHG emissions than existing methods.
An ammonia bunkering facility planned by Yara Clean Ammonia (YCA) and Norway’s Azane Fuel Solutions at Fjord Base in Florø, Norway, has secured approval for construction from the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection.
The planned terminal consists of a floating stationary barge with a capacity of 1,000 cubic meters, or 650 mt, of low-emission ammonia. The permit allows for up to 416 operations annually, many of these expected to be bunkering operations for offshore supply vessels that regularly call at Fjord Base, Yara and Azane said in separate media releases on March 25.
YCA, Azane, and Fjord Base will now commence work with their project partners to obtain a permit with the local municipality before a final investment decision.
“Even though interest in ammonia as a decarbonized shipping fuel is high, the final leg of the journey, from the production plant to the vessel, has been missing,” Yara and Azane said. “Now Yara Clean Ammonia, Azane, and Fjord Base have demonstrated how the planned ammonia bunkering terminal can meet the strict safety requirement of the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB).”
Yara and Azane reached a commercial agreement in 2022 to establish a carbon-free ammonia fuel bunker network in Scandinavia (GM April 1, 2022). Under the agreement, the ammonia bunker terminals would be designed and constructed by Azane and delivered to Yara.
As one of the world’s largest ammonia producers, Yara will use its position to deliver green ammonia to the shipping industry. It has pre-ordered 15 floating bunkering terminals from Azane, which it believes will be sufficient to cover the Scandinavian market.
Demand seems to be gaining momentum in Norway as ENOVA, which manages the Norwegian Climate and Energy fund on behalf of the Norwegian government, is planning ammonia grant tenders for both ammonia-powered ships and ammonia infrastructure in 2024. There are multiple new building projects in the pipeline, as well as ongoing ammonia-powered Platform Supply Vessels (PSV) tender processes.
Huma CEO Lyndon Smith has been appointed Chairman of The Fertilizer Institute’s 82-member Biostimulant Council.
The Biostimulant Council’s mission is to advocate for regulatory reform in the US biostimulant industry, aiming to separate it from the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). This move would facilitate state regulation under The Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO), ensuring a standardized approach and recognition of biostimulants.
“Lyndon steps into this role during an incredibly exciting time for biostimulants. Growers are increasingly being asked to do more with less and biostimulants can play an important role in maximizing crop yields while minimizing environmental impacts,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “More growers are looking to include biostimulants into their nutrient management plans and the TFI Biostimulant Council is working hard to increase grower adoption, as well as grower confidence through the Certified Biostimulant Program.”
Steven H. Goldman to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. The appointments were in accordance with Sherritt’s Board succession planning with the retirements of Maryse Belanger and John Warwick, both of whom are not seeking re-election at the corporation’s 2024 Annual General Meeting.
Blais has 25 years as a senior diplomat. She was Canada’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2017 to 2021. During this time, she also served as Vice President to UNICEF’s Executive Board. She served abroad in Washington and Tokyo and as Minister-Counsellor for Political Affairs at the Embassy in Paris. In 2014 she was appointed Consul General of Canada in Atlanta. She is currently an Associate at the Pendleton Group and Special Senior Advisor, International Affairs, to the Business Council of Canada and the QG100 in Quebec. Blais holds a B.A. from McGill University.
Goldman is a founding member of the Toronto law firm of Goldman Hine LLP, which he retired from in January 2021. He is currently President, CEO, and Director of Comstock Metals Inc. and a Director and Audit Committee member of Select Sands Corp. He received his B.A. (President’s Medal) from Carleton University and his JD from Queen’s University.
Ameropa Holding AG has announced the appointment of Josh Zacharias to the position of Group CEO, effective April 15. Zacharias is currently the CEO of Romania’s biggest fertilizer producer, Azomureş SA, a position he will keep along with the new appointment. Ameropa has owned Azomureş via a subsidiary since 2012.
Zacharias, 44, is a dual US and Swiss citizen and began work with Ameropa first as a financial analyst for M&A at the group’s Binningen, Switzerland, headquarters, then as Risk Manager and Controller at Ameropa North America, and finally as CFO at Ameropa Australia. In 2013, he moved into the commercial side as Head of Trading at Ameropa Australia and also headed the Browns retail business selling directly to farmers in Australia.
In 2018, Zacharias returned to Binningen and assumed the role of Group Chief Risk Officer for close to two years. He took on the role of Azomureş’ CEO/General Manager on Oct. 1, 2022 (GM Sept. 30, 2022), while also coordinating the company’s commercial activity, a position he has held since Jan. 2020.
Junior sulfate of potash (SOP) producer SOPerior Fertilizer reported that it is seeking to extend its 10-year Other Business Arrangement (OBA) with the School and Institutional Trust Land Administration (SITLA) for the Blawn Mountain mineral leases that expire on April 1, 2024.
The Toronto company said its extension submission will be supported by the planning and numerous studies undertaken, including environmental and plant location studies, and financial expenditures incurred by the company and its proposed joint venture counterparty in preparation for the start of the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) for the first phase commercial project planned to commence in 2024.
The company noted that the SITLA Board of Directors has meetings scheduled for mid-April and May 2024. It said depending on the duration of the SITLA review process, it is expected that the OBA will be tabled for approval at one of those two meetings.
Compass Minerals has announced that the US Forest Service (USFS) has informed the company that it will not be entering into a contract for the use of magnesium chloride-based aerial fire retardants for the 2024 fire season.
Compass said USFS evaluations discovered that certain airtankers that had flown with the Compass product revealed significant signs of corrosion.
Based on safety concerns, USFS said that it would be “unable to define the scope and associated terms and conditions of a new contract” with the company until the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted a coordinated, independent assessment of the findings.
FMC Corp. on March 12 announced a collaboration in Canada with biosolutions provider Novonesis (formerly Novozymes A/S). The agreement is part of FMC’s strategic plan to grow its biologicals platform in key markets.
Beginning June 1, 2024, FMC Canada will be the exclusive distributor of Novonesis’ biosolution products for the 2025 growing season, including brands TagTeam®, Optimize®, JumpStart®, BioniQ®, Cell-Tech®, and Nitragin®. Additionally, the companies will utilize their respective R&D capabilities to collaborate on the development of novel biological technology for Canadian farmers.
The partnership will leverage Novonesis’ Plant Biosolutions Manufacturing and Research site in Saskatoon, Sask., and FMC’s market knowledge and expertise in applying biologicals in an integrated approach with synthetic crop protection chemistry and precision agriculture technology. Terms of the commercial agreement were not disclosed.
FMC said it has launched approximately 40 biological products – including Accudo® biostimulant, Provilar® biofungicide, and Avodigen® seed treatment – in 24 countries over the past five years and is one of the few companies with a fully global presence.
Ag tech company Ever.Ag, Lewisville, Texas, on March 15 announced the acquisition of Adapt-N® from Yara North America. Ever.Ag plans to incorporate Adapt-N into its FieldAlytics digital field logistics and farm planning platform. It said the acquisition provides wider market access for Adapt-N, an in-season nitrogen recommendation tool.
“By incorporating Adapt-N into FieldAlytics, we’re equipping ag retailers with a powerful tool to help farmers fine-tune their nitrogen application, ensuring optimal crop health and yield while minimizing waste,” said Kyle Owen, Vice President of Digital Agronomy at Ever.Ag. “This step not only aligns with our commitment to sustainable farming but also boosts the economic returns for our farming clients.”
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG and the Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer (GDL) train drivers’ union have reached an agreement on wages and working hours, ending a months-long dispute that caused strikes and disrupted both freight and passenger traffic across the country (GM March 8, p. 34; Feb. 2, p. 1).
Under the deal, from 2026, the standard working week will be gradually reduced from 38 hours to 35 hours by 2029 at full pay, according to Agence France Presse, citing a Deutsche Bahn press conference on March 26. Train drivers will, however, have the option of working more hours if they want to, up to 40 hours a week, at 2.7% more salary per additional hour.
The agreement also includes a €420 ($455) per month wage hike in two stages as well as a one-off payment of €2,850 to help compensate for inflation, according to the report. The settlement will run until the end of 2025, and both sides have ruled out any further strike action for nearly two years.
The agreement ends an acrimonious dispute that led to six rounds of walkouts since November last year. K+S group and German chemical giant BASF SE were forced to shift some of their transports from rail to trucks as a result (GM Jan. 26, p. 1). State-owned Deutsche Bahn, which posted a net loss of €2.35 billion in 2023, said last year’s walkouts alone cost the company some €200 million.
