Pryor, Okla.-There was no official word last week from LSB Industries Inc. as to the start-up of its anhydrous ammonia and UAN plants at its Pryor Chemical Co. subsidiary in Pryor, Okla. However, industry sources report the plant is again in start-up mode, with one source saying the plant could begin producing any day now. Earlier this summer, LSB had targeted the end of September as the date to get the plants up after they went offline due to a fire (GM July 5, 2010). LSB has been renovating much of the Pryor facility, which was idled several years ago. To date, LSB says the ammonia and UAN plants have not reached full production.

Cranbury, N.J.-Specialty phosphate maker Innophos Holdings Inc. said Sept. 28 that it plans a $4.5 million expansion of its Nashville, Tenn., facility for the production of its specialty leavening acid CAL-RISE®. This expansion, which is due to be completed by mid-year 2011, doubles the current capacity for this specialty product. The project also further reinforces Innophos’ commitment to the Nashville plant as one of its key manufacturing sites. “Changes in marketing trends, specifically those resulting from sodium reduction throughout the food industry, have contributed to increased demand for Innophos’ calcium-based leavening products. CAL-RISE® is a unique leavening acid which allows manufacturers of baked goods to reach up to a 25% reduction in sodium levels and at the same time, add much needed calcium, in a cost effective manner,” commented Joseph Golowski, vice president, specialty phosphates business.

Saguenay, Quebec-Arianne Resources Inc. has created a new subsidiary, Canada Phosphate Inc., which will include Arianne’s Lac à Paul phosphorus-titanium project. Arianne will own 100% of the shares of Canada Phosphate. The company is currently negotiating with different potential partners in order to advance this deposit to the production phase. The company has recently appointed Daniel Boulianne as vice president, exploration. The company said he has over 25 years of mining experience in Quebec, Ontario, Mexico, West Africa, and French Guyana. He, along with Dr. Nadège Tollari, vice president, research and development, will also work in Canada Phosphate Inc.

Vancouver, B.C.-Dajin Resources Corp. reports that its Argentine subsidiary has signed a contract with an Argentine contractor for drilling at its 100-percent-owned 83,248 hectare Salinas Grandes/Guayatayoc project in Jujuy Province. Drilling is scheduled to commence in October 2010 under the supervision of AMEC Earth and Environmental. “I am pleased the drill program on the Salares Grandes/Guayatayoc salt lake basin can now proceed. The commencement of this drill program is one more positive step forward for Dajin to test its target of a substantial economic resource of potash, lithium, and borates in one of the largest brine basins in Argentina,” said Brian Findlay, Dajin president.

Boston-Converted Organics Inc. said Sept. 30 that the company has entered into an agreement with Republic Services of Salinas to divert food waste from local landfills and receive the food waste at the company’s Gonzales, Calif., organic fertilizer facility. Converted Organics will receive tip fees per ton of waste delivered and will recycle the food waste into fertilizer. The relationship between the company and Republic Services was facilitated by the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, an agency that works to eliminate the need for landfills. The additional food waste at the California facility follows the completion of facility upgrades and the receipt of a Solid Waste Facility Permit, which allows the facility to receive and process up to 250 tons of food waste per day.

Carteret, N.J.-Prime Lube Inc. has added NOCO Distribution LLC, the largest lubricant distributor in New York State, as a distributor for Blue Sky diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) throughout its home state and also Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as roughly half of the Canadian province of Ontario, including the Toronto and Ottawa metropolitan areas. NOCO Distribution is a subsidiary of NOCO Inc., a family-owned and operated energy company with a 75-year history of providing energy products and services to commercial and residential customers in the New York region. According to Prime Lube COO Robert Arbasetti, NOCO Distribution will provide its on- and off-highway fleet customers with BlueSky DEF, as well as offer BlueSky to commercial and passenger vehicle customers through its more than 30 NOCO Express and convenience stores throughout western New York.

York, Penn.-Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc. unveiled another municipal treatment facility that has adopted its process, which recovers phosphorus and ammonia from wastewater to produce a slow-release fertilizer. Ostara joined with the City of York at the Sept. 16 unveiling of the new nutrient recovery facility, which marks the start-up of the second such installation in the pollution-sensitive Chesapeake Bay watershed. The first facility opened at the Hampton Roads sanitation district’s Nansemond plant in May. Under the arrangement with Ostara, the municipalities make no capital investment and pay a monthly treatment fee for designing, building, and financing the operation. Revenues from the sale of Crystal Green fertilizer produced at the plant will be shared with the City of York, thereby further improving the economics of the facility. A pilot study at the York plant in Spring 2008 found that the process recovered more than 90 percent of the phosphorus and 20 percent of the nitrogen.

Lawrence, Kan.-Lawrence city officials have confirmed that everything is in place to move ahead to take over and proceed with the cleanup of the former Farmland Industries Inc. fertilizer plant. Formally executing ownership, which has been fraught with indecision on more than a few occasions, will now allow the city to begin converting the 467 acres into a business park. Under terms drafted in June, the city will acquire the site without purchasing it and receive at closing $8.5 million – to be used for remediation – from current property owner Farmland Industries Kansas Remediation Trust. The city will execute a consent order with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which will place the liability for the necessary environmental remediation on the city. If the city successfully executes the remediation as outlined in the consent order, it will not have any further environmental liability from the state. The city has received a statement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concerning the limits of the obligations on the Farmland property. The next step, which has been approved by city commissioners, is sending out a request for proposals from companies interested in demolishing the majority of the structures left on the site.