All posts by mickeybarb@charter.net

Sulfuric Acid

Brazil, Gulf Coast, Market Watch, Midwest, Sulfuric Acid, U.S. Gulf, West Coast

U.S. Gulf:

Pricing on the U.S. Gulf import market continued to be heard at $240-$245/mt CFR, despite talk of firming sentiment in a number of international markets.

Gulf Coast:

Sources continued to describe 2022 annual Gulf Coast sulfuric acid contracts settling in the $195-$230/st DEL range. Agreements for 2021 were reported in the $85-$110/st DEL range, leaving the market at a wide $85-$230/st DEL through the last week of the year.

Production issues reported from a facility located in Alabama were likely to tighten supply in the near term, sources said.

Midwest:

Sulacid tons delivered to buyers in the Midwest mirrored pricing in the Gulf Coast for both 2021 and 2022 deals, putting the market at $85-$230/st DEL for the week.

West Coast:

West Coast delivered pricing was reported at $185-$220/st DEL for 2022 annual contracts. Annual agreements were quoted at $100-$130/st DEL for 2021.

Brazil:

Rising sulfur prices and production cutbacks noted from smelters in Europe were heard pressing last-done Brazil imports into the $270s/mt CFR, higher than the last reported $260-$270/mt CFR range.

Crops/Weather

Crops/Weather, Eastern Cornbelt, Market Watch, Western Cornbelt

Eastern Cornbelt:

The last days of December were expected to bring snowfall to much of central and northern Illinois, prompting a winter storm watch for the Chicago area during the week. Forecasts warned of up to six inches of snow and gusty winds in northern Illinois by New Year’s Day.

A wintry mix of rain and snow was also in Indiana’s forecast for the final days of the year, with temperatures in central Indiana rising to the 40s and low-50s as the week progressed. Ohio sources reported similar conditions, with a mix of rain and snow reported in the state’s central and northern counties.

Central Michigan residents were bracing for potentially heavy snowfall over the New Year’s weekend.

Western Cornbelt:

A powerful winter storm was expected to bring potentially heavy snow to parts of Iowa on the first day of 2022, with forecasts warning of 7-9 inches of accumulation in the Iowa City area, and up to 12 inches in other locations.

Temperatures climbed to the upper-40s in Nebraska as the week progressed, but residents were bracing for an abrupt weather change by the weekend. Forecasts warned of potentially heavy snow across eastern Nebraska on Jan. 1, with much colder weather moving in behind the precipitation.

A winter weather watch was also in effect for central Missouri late in the week. Although high temperatures were expected to touch the 60s in some locations on the last day of the year, lows in the single digits were likely by the weekend, with ice storms and up to 2-4 inches of snow possible in some locations.

Transportation

Illinois River, Mississippi RIver, Ohio River, Transportation, U.S. Gulf

U.S. Gulf:

Weather forecasts showed persistent overnight fog throughout the Gulf region during the week, limiting movements for up to eight hours at a time. The conditions were expected to linger through the end of the week.

Navigation through Bayou Boeuf Lock remained restricted to overnight hours only on Monday through Friday, according to a Coast Guard posting. Transit was unavailable daily between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., although 24-hour lock access resumed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Shoaling continued to be reported at Mile 7 in the Houma Navigational Canal during the week. As a result, drafts were capped at 11 feet through Miles 6-10 until further notice.

Bayou Chene was inaccessible during overnight hours due to ongoing floodgate work. The waterway was shut nightly between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., while daytime movements were limited to 600 feet of length. Towing configurations wider than 54 feet were required to use an assist vessel. Wait times were noted in the 6-12 hour range.

Shoaling continued through Miles 113-116 of the Atchafalaya River, near Morgan City, limiting vessel drafts to 10 feet. The Coast Guard restricted tow lengths to 600 feet, while strings longer than 400 feet were strongly advised to utilize an assist vessel. Widths were capped at 70 feet. Vessels could bypass the restrictions by detouring through the Port Allen Route.

Tows traveling through Algiers Lock remained limited to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn on unassisted lockages. Larger tows were possible when traveling with an assist vessel.

Construction efforts at the Belle Chasse Bridge were projected to continue through late 2022, causing intermittent delays up to 12 hours at a time. The bridge is located at Mile 3 in the West Canal.

Boats transiting Port Allen Lock were delayed up to 17.5 hours for the week, Corps data indicated. Industrial Lock travel was generally noted in the 4-9 hour range.

Mississippi River:

The Corps announced a round of channel reinforcement work for Mile 642 on the lower Mississippi River, set to begin on Jan. 5 and continue through February. Southbound tows are likely to see significant delays while the project is underway.

Low water levels in the St. Louis area continued to necessitate draft restrictions of 10-10.5 feet throughout the lower river. The gauge registered 3.78 feet and falling on Dec. 30, and was expected to recede to 0.0 feet by Jan. 12. Dredging in the St. Louis area reportedly caused lengthy delays on Dec. 27-29.

Upper river locks 1-18 were reported shut for the winter navigation season as of Dec. 29. Lock 24 was scheduled to go offline for 30 days on Jan. 1 before reopening on Jan. 31.

Lock 15 was projected to return to service on March 3, followed by Lock 5 and Lock 7 on March 11. Locks 5A, 8, and 10 were tentatively set to resume lockages on March 17, ahead of Lock 4 on March 21.

Six-hour delays were reported at Mel Price Lock during the week.

Illinois River:

Wickets were reported in the raised position at both Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock for the week due to low water levels. Intermittent 10-14 hour delays were noted at Peoria Lock, while vessels passing LaGrange saw waits up to 23 hours.

A Brandon Road Lock repair and maintenance project scheduled to run from May 9 through Sept. 8 is expected to cause significant travel delays. Daytime shutdowns and 70-foot width restrictions will be in place from May 9 through Aug. 14, while lockages will be entirely unavailable from Aug. 15 through Sept. 4. Overnight-only travel will return on Sept. 5-8, ahead of a projected full reopening on Sept. 9.

Ohio River:

Montgomery Lock primary chamber repairs underway since late October were reportedly concluded on Dec. 22, ending a period of navigation delays reported as high as 10 days.

Transit remained unavailable through the Dashields Lock auxiliary chamber due to an underwater obstruction inhibiting miter gate function. Travel remained possible via the main chamber.

A proposed Cannelton Lock main chamber shutdown would inhibit primary chamber movements between July 5 and Nov. 11, forcing tows through the secondary chamber.

The Tennessee River’s Wilson Lock will undergo a main chamber shutdown from Feb. 23 through April 28, forcing tows to lock one barge per turn through the secondary chamber, likely producing delays. The Corps announced an updated mid-project relief opening slated for March 18-23, a change from the prior April 1-3.

Delays at Wilson Lock were quoted up to 54 hours for the week. Kentucky Lock waits tracked up to 15 hours on Dec. 29.

On the Cumberland River, Barkley Lock was scheduled for bio-acoustic fish fence (BAFF) maintenance on Jan. 15-30, blocking use of the site daily from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. A proposed maintenance shutdown at Cheatham Lock would limit movements from May 16 through Aug. 4.

The Allegheny River’s Lock 6 remained indefinitely shut to navigation due to reported damage to a miter gate anchorage.

Season’s Greetings

Season's Greetings

The staff of Green Markets extends warm holiday wishes to all. Green Markets publishes 51 issues annually. There will be no issue dated Dec. 24, 2021. However, a special edition will be published over the holidays that will include Breaking News Alerts and other industry news. Alerts will be e-mailed during the holidays. Regular publication resumes with our Jan. 7, 2022, issue.

Fertilizer Plant in Works for Ohio

Eastern Cornbelt, News, News Briefs, Specialty

EnviroKure, Philadelphia, Penn., is currently building a fertilizer plant near Hicksville, Ohio, near Hillendale Farms, a major egg production facility. EnviroKure will process manure from the chicken facility into fertilizer. Ground was broken on the plant in July, with completion expected in March 2022, according to the Crescent-News.

EnviroKure plans to invest $22 million to develop the plant over the next five years, according to the Defiance County Economic Development Office. It will employ 15-30. The company received a ten-year, 75 percent property tax abatement from Defiance County on $10 million of the investment, and in return will make annual donations to the local schools and career center, according to the paper.

EnviroKure had not responded to inquiries at press time, however, its website said the company was founded in 2011 to develop technology to provide sustainable solutions to issues caused by the over-abundance of chicken manure in the Delmarva/Chesapeake Bay region.

Since then, it has looked beyond the Eastern Shore of the U.S. to expand its reach. It said its products are licensed in 42 states and are OMRI-listed. In 2018, it said its products were applied to over 50,000 acres, including 20,000 acres of trials in the Midwest.

EnviroKure said it has developed a proven, proprietary technology that transforms the manure into powerful biostimulants and organic biofertilizers. It reports three patents awarded, four pending, and additional technology in development with extensive trade secrets.

The company said its technology eliminates pathogens, transforming the manure into safe plant growth biologic amendments that also improve the soil health without food safety harvest restrictions.

Incitec Pivot Buys Majority Stake in ABF for A$38 M; Biofertilizer Plant Planned

Ammonium Sulfate, Australia, News, News Briefs, Specialty

Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, a division of Australia’s Incitec Pivot Ltd., Southbank, Victoria, announced on Dec. 13 that it will invest A$38 million in Australian Bio Fert Co. (ABF), Rowville, Victoria, and build the country’s first large-scale sustainable fertilizer plant. Construction of the 75,000 mt/y granular biofertilizer plant near Lethbridge, Victoria, is expected to begin in second-quarter 2022, with completion in mid-2023. It will create about 25 jobs.

IPL said the fertilizer will combine torrefied organic waste materials with carbon and fertilizer products to create a more sustainable fertilizer that improves soil health. The company said the plant will enable IPF to recycle organic waste materials sourced predominantly from the poultry industry to develop products with consistent and guaranteed quality, free from pathogens.

IPL Managing Director and CEO Jeanne Johns said the announcement was an investment in sustainable farming of the future and part of a transformation of the fertilizer business into a soil health company.

“This investment in regional Victoria is a great example of the environmentally friendly circular economy in action and part of a commitment to help our farming customers reduce environmental impacts while using our safe and effective products,” said Johns.

“As Australia’s largest domestic manufacturer of plant nutrition products, we are pleased to be able to demonstrate our support for regional manufacturing with this investment,” said IPF President Stephan Titze. He said it would add to IPF’s suite of market leading products and services and meet the growing demand from Australian farmers for sustainable, effective, and practical fertilizer solutions.

“This innovative Australian technology creates a new product category for farmers, which we can now commercialize and take to market through IPF’s established and respected professional services and distribution network across the East Coast of Australia,” said APF Chairman Andrew Buchanan.

Founded in July 2015, ABF developed a pilot plant, product development, and research facility near Maddingley in Victoria in 2018, where it now produces a series of biological fertilizer formulations. Major ingredients include poultry materials, sea bird guano, and ammonium sulfate.

Arianne, UQTR Partner on Electrolyser Research

Canada, News, News Briefs, Phosphate, Specialty

Arianne Phosphate, Saguenay, Quebec, a development-stage phosphate mining company advancing its Lac à Paul project in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, announced on Dec. 15 that it is working with the University of Quebec at Three-Rivers (UQTR) to assess the use of Arianne’s phosphate concentrate in electrolysers that produce hydrogen for use in hydrogen fuel cells.

UQTR’s work is focusing on designs around the proton exchange membrane (PEM) within electrolysers that produce hydrogen for use in fuel cells.

Arianne said that currently, electrolysers have three main challenges for mass production: performance, durability, and cost. The current research centers on the use of phosphate-based materials in the components of the electrolyser and would address these challenges. It said phosphate allows for greater ionic conductivity and will optimize hydrogen production.

“Although early in the process, electrolysers, as well as our recently announced work with LFP batteries, continues to demonstrate the increasing demands for phosphate beyond the agricultural sector,” said Brian Ostroff, Arianne President.

“Arianne’s high-purity phosphate is ideal to meet the world’s growing demand for phosphate as it very well-suited for applications of all sorts; from fertilizer to advanced energy applications. Further, with the project located in Quebec, Canada, it addresses many offtakers’ concerns around security of supply, an issue that has, and continues to, affect the global availability of phosphate,” Ostroff added.