Paris, France, and Norcross, Ga. — The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) and the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) have collaborated to produce a new publication titled Fertilizing Crops to Improve Human Health: A Scientific Review. This publication demonstrates the opportunity to leverage fertilizer towards improving the nutrition and health of many vulnerable people around the world, in particular by providing the essential micronutrients and other beneficial compounds that are needed for a healthy life. The authors noted that to date, fertilizer’s contribution to food security is better known than its contribution to nutrition security. “While fertilizer has been highly influential in increasing the quantity of food produced, it also holds enormous potential for improving human welfare by improving the quality of food,” said Rajul Pandya-Lorch, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). In addition to producing more calories, new research demonstrates that fertilizer can also play an essential role in fighting malnutrition by providing the essential micronutrients needed by the human body. Micronutrient deficiencies affect the lives of some 2 billion people around the world. “We trust that this reference document will provide the necessary scientific basis for developing and promoting new fertilizer recommendations aimed at alleviating the burden of nutrition insecurity and will stimulate further research in this area,” said Dr. Terry Roberts, IPNI president. The book provides examples, such as the use of zinc fertilization in Central Anatolia in Turkey and potassium fertilization to enhance antioxidant concentration in tomatoes and soybeans. “The fertilizer industry is conscious that efforts to promote food and nutrition security should be done in the context of improved fertilizer management practices, such as 4R Nutrient Stewardship,” adds Luc Maene, IFA director general. The peer-reviewed publication is now available in a single hardcopy book form. More information may be obtained at http://info.ipni.net/FCIHH.
Toronto — Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund saw a 38 percent uptick in net income, to C$10.6 million ($0.25 per diluted share) on revenues of $240.9 million for the third quarter ending Sept. 30, 2012, compared to the year-ago $7.7 million ($0.05 per share) and $268.5 million, respectively. EBITDA was down at $35.8 million from $45.8 million. The year-ago quarter was the first full quarter that included the results of the acquisition of Marsulex Inc. Third-quarter revenues were off due to lower sulfur and sulfuric acid volumes in the company’s International segment. Nine-month income was off at $23.6 million ($0.56 per share) on sales of $696.3 million from the year-ago $56.7 million ($1.33 per share) and $633.4 million, respectively. EBITDA was up at $106.9 million from $82.1 million.
Santiago — Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM) reported a 15 percent increase in net income for the third quarter ending Sept. 30, 2012, to $165.2 million ($0.63 per share) on revenues of $615.3 million, versus the year-ago $143.2 million ($0.54 per share) on revenues of $574.7 million. SQM said margins were driven primarily by increased prices in iodine and increased sales volumes in potassium, lithium, and industrial chemicals. “These strong results though, pose a new set of challenges for the next months,” said Patricio Contesse, SQM CEO. “On one hand, the potash price environment has been relatively unstable in the past weeks and difficult to predict for the near future. On the other hand, European economy slowdown is starting to show some effect in volumes across all our business lines. However, our unique commercial flexibility and operational synergies will allow us to continue maintaining our competitive advantage and to react and benefit to changing market needs.” Specialty Plant Nutrition (SPN) sales were off at $162 million from $183.2 million, while Potassium Chloride/Sulfate were as well – $131.3 million versus $152.7 million. SQM nine-month income was up 31.2 percent, to $507.4 million ($1.93 per share) on revenues of $1.83 billion versus the year-ago $386.9 million ($1.47 per share) and $1.61 billion, respectively. Nine-month SPN sales were off at $515.9 million from $547.1 million, with sales volumes off 9 percent. SQM noted that a competitor, presumably Haifa Chemical, had returned to normal production levels. Potassium Chloride/Sulfate was up at $456.6 million from $426 million, with volumes up over 5 percent. Year-to-date, SQM says its potash prices have remained stable, though they have fallen in other markets.
Pasadena, Calif. — Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. said that it received a contract from Paradeep Phosphates Ltd. (PPL) to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services for its sulfuric acid plant expansion project in Paradeep, Orissa, India. Officials did not disclose the contract value, but they noted that the total contract duration is 24 months. Jacobs is overseeing the work of engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors as they expand PPL’s sulfuric acid plant to enable an estimated capacity of over 2,000 mt/d. The expansion project also includes a retrofit of the heat recovery system in PPL’s existing sulfuric acid plants, plus a new captive power plant and allied Outside Boundary Limits (OSBL) facilities. PPL, which is engaged in manufacturing and marketing complex phosphate fertilizers in India, is owned by Zuari Holdings Ltd., OCP of Morocco, and the government of India.
Cheriton, Va. — A burst hydraulic hose is being blamed for a fire that destroyed an expensive Prowler fertilizer spreader operating out of Helena Chemical Co.’s Tasley office that brought out a host of emergency responders. “The hydraulic hose burst and let some hot fluid get out and ignite,” reported Ed Brister, director of regulatory affairs from Helena headquarters at Collierville, Tenn. “I don’t know if the investigation is completed. The only thing I’ve seen is some photos of it, and from the photos it appears to be a total loss.” The machinery, which is licensed to travel on roadways, was on U.S. Route 13 shortly before 9 a.m., when the driver looked in the rear-view mirror and saw smoke coming out of the back. By the time he pulled off to the shoulder and escaped uninjured, the flames were spreading. E Series or 9275 Prowlers are built by GVM Inc. of East Berlin, Penn., for spreading liquid or dry fertilizer. While the value of the Prowler was not immediately available, late model Prowlers were being offered last week around $180,000.
Kasel, Germany — In a ceremony Nov. 1, K+S Kali GmbH laid the foundation stone to mark the construction of a new €21 million high-purity potassium chloride (KCI 99) compaction facility at its Zielitz site in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. K+S said the new unit will further refine the product characteristics of the fine-grained product, so that KCI 99 can then be produced at a new level of quality. Due to the coarser granulation, it said the spreadability of the product will be increased and its storage and handling improved. The production line comprises a mechanical facility for compacting, as well as an additional building for storage and loading. Construction is expected to be completed in mid-2013, with trial operation expected for December 2013, and the first volume of compacted KCI 99 available for the market in January 2014. The product is used in industrial production processes, with a major use chlorine-alkaline electrolysis. K+S said the chemical precursors and compounds created in this process are indispensible for the production of pharmaceuticals, glass, ceramics, and plant protection products. The Zielitz potash plant employs 1,800, and the plant’s share in the total production of K+S is about 30 percent.
St. Paul — CHS Inc. announced on Nov. 19 that it has completed construction of a propane terminal in Biddeford, Maine, in time to meet growing demand for the upcoming home heating season. “CHS invested in this terminal as an important step in fulfilling our company’s aspiration to expand our energy platform, meet customers’ needs, and add value to our member-owners,” said Drew Combs, vice president, CHS Propane. “Our goal with the new terminal is to help retailers successfully serve New England homeowners and businesses with a safe, reliable, and competitively priced supply of propane primarily from North American sources.” Served by Pan Am Railways, the new terminal began serving customers on Nov. 12 with two loading bays and 180,000 gallons of storage. CHS said the new terminal is one of several recent initiatives to increase its supply assets, including securing a multiyear marketing agreement for more than 80 million gallons a year from a large gas plant facility in North Dakota, and securing additional company-owned railcar loading assets to strengthen its overall supply capability. Other partners in the project include property owner Westfield Inc., Kennebunk, Maine, and Champagne’s Energy, Arundel, Maine, a CHS customer that will be providing operating services.
Spot Barge Prices
st/FOB U.S. Gulf
| Ammonia |
685 |
| Urea (g) |
393-397 |
| Urea (p) |
400-410 |
| DAP |
465-480 |
Verona, Wisc. — Natural gas prices are expected to fall below $3.00/mmBtu in early 2013 as improved drilling rig efficiencies, lower operating costs, high production yields, and new pipeline infrastructure keep production on the rise, according to Energy Solutions Inc., a provider and publisher of information on natural gas and prices. Energy Solutions reports that producers are unlikely to significantly curtail drilling efforts in 2013 because of high rates of return and the race to reach new markets, particularly in the Northeast. The use of horizontal drilling technologies in massive shale plays has caused overall operating expenses to decline. Since 2007, the number of days to drill a well has been cut in half, while the number of wells a single drilling rig can drill each year has doubled. Additionally, producers can supplement their natural gas revenues through the sale of natural gas liquids and the production of associated gas, improving overall profitability. By 2014, however, natural gas production growth does show signs of slowing. Meanwhile, the abundance of natural gas supplies puts the U.S. on a path to become an exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the near future.
London — BP Trinidad & Tobago on Nov. 19 announced that it has discovered an estimated 1 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas off the shore of Trinidad, doubling the estimated gas in place of the Savonette gas field to 2 tcf. This was major news for the Trinidad nitrogen industry, which has been suffering through regular gas curtailments for some time. In addition, recent estimates have warned that the country might have less than ten years worth of gas left.
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