All Posts from August 26, 2022

Perdaman Urea Project Advances Despite Rock Art Concerns

Australia, News, News Briefs, Urea

Australia has approved Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd.’s A$4.5 billion (US$3.1 billion) urea project in the Pilbara region after the project received the green light from the area’s local Indigenous corporation, despite concerns it will damage sacred Aboriginal ancient rock art located nearby, according to Bloomberg.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Aug. 23 the Murujuga Aboriginal Corp., representing the five traditional owners of the land in Western Australia, had agreed that a number of rock carvings could be moved safely to an adjacent site.

Perth-based Perdaman had stopped work on the urea plant for months after facing opposition from traditional custodians wanting to protect the millions of Indigenous petroglyphs on Western Australia’s Burrup peninsula – an area that has been nominated for a World Heritage listing.

“It does mean that work can soon commence on this,” Plibersek said in a radio interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp. She noted that only “a couple” of rock carvings and grinding stones, as well as an arrangement of stones, were at risk in the proposed site.

Perdaman has already secured gas supplies from Woodside Energy Group’s Scarborough field (GM Nov. 21, 2018), and received A$255 million in February from the federal government’s Northern Australian Infrastructure Fund to build water and port facilities in the area (GM Feb. 11, p. 34).

Perdaman expects to produce up to 2.3 million mt/y of granular urea, with first production targeted for fourth-quarter 2025. The company last May signed a 20-year offtake deal with Incitec Fertilizers Pty Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Incitec Pivot Ltd. (IPL), for up to 2.3 million mt/y of granular urea from the proposed plant (GM May 7, 2021).

The decision is a blow to Save Our Songlines, a separate Aboriginal activist group which had applied for a one-month pause on construction under Section 9 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act. While Plibersek struck down the appeal, she said that she was still considering an application that would secure longer-term protection of the area.

“The minister suggests the Murujuga Aboriginal Corp. is legally constituted to speak for traditional custodians, but its own members and elders said  they are gagged and cannot oppose or object to projects,” Murujuga traditional custodians and Save our Songlines spokeswomen Raelene Cooper and Josie Alec said in a post on Twitter. “Elders repeatedly expressed opposition to relocating rock art.”

The move spurred a backlash from some First Nations groups. Speaking in a separate interview with the ABC on Aug. 23, Greens Senator Dorinda Cox called the Perdaman project a “Juukan 2.0” – a reference to Rio Tinto’s destruction in 2020 of a 40,000 year-old ancient Aboriginal heritage site in the Pilbara.

That event sparked national outrage at the time, and eventually led to the resignation of a number of the company’s senior executives, including then-CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques.

“The movement of that rock art will be its destruction,” Senator Cox said about the fertilizer project.

Rainbow, OCP, University Collaborate on Rare Earth Extraction from Phosphogypsum

England, Morocco, News, News Briefs

Rainbow Rare Earths, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, has announced that it has entered into a Master Agreement with OCP SA and Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University to investigate and develop the optimal technique for the extraction of rare earth elements from phosphogypsum.

Phosphogypsum contains rare earths as a byproduct of phosphoric acid production. The parties intend to work together on the development of pilot and industrial-scale extraction of rare earths from phosphogypsum.

Rainbow said it has expertise and intellectual property on rare earths extraction and processing completed with the separation technology licensed from K-Technologies Inc., Lakeland, Fla.

The Mosaic Co. – Management Brief

Management Briefs, Tampa

The Mosaic Co. announced that on Aug. 17 the Board of Directors named Russell A. Flugel, 52, as its Vice President and Controller and designated him as Mosaic’s Principal Accounting Officer, effective Sept. 1, 2022. He reports to and will succeed Clint C. Freeland, Mosaic’s Senior Vice President and CFO, who served as Mosaic’s Principal Accounting Officer since June 4, 2018.

Flugel served as Vice President and Controller-Elect of Mosaic since May 23, 2022. Before joining Mosaic, he served as Senior Vice President, Controller, and principal accounting officer of Air Products & Chemicals Inc. since June 2015. Prior to June 2015, he held financial positions of increasing responsibility since joining Air Products in 1998.

Luciano Siani Pires, a member of the Board of Directors, on Aug. 17 informed Mosaic of his decision to resign as Director effective Sept. 1, 2022. The company said the decision was not the result of any disagreement relating to the company’s operations, policies, or practices, and it thanked him for his commitment and service.

AMVAC – Management Brief

California, Management Briefs, Specialty

AMVAC®, Newport Beach, Calif., has established a GreenSolutions™ product team dedicated to their biological portfolio, which consists of biopesticides, biostimulants, and biofertilizers. The team is led by Ted Walter, US GreenSolutions Marketing Manager at AMVAC.

Three GreenSolutions marketing development managers – Dennis Riley, Julio Lozano, and Kyle Coleman – are individually responsible for marketing efforts in the Midwest, Southeast, and Western regions, respectively.

The products, distributed by AMVAC and partnering retailers in the US, include Ecozin® Plus 1.2% ME, a bioinsecticide approved for organic farming; and SmartBlock®, a plant growth regulator. Three products expanded the portfolio with AMVAC’s acquisition of Agrinos (GM Oct. 30, 2020), a yield technology product platform that works in conjunction with other nutritional crop inputs.

These include B Sure®, a nutrient solution improving plant metabolism; iNvigorate®, which creates a highly productive microbial community to assist with nutrient uptake and fertilizer efficiency; and UpLift®, a fertility solution increasing crop productivity and supporting soil vigor.

AMVAC operates two North American biological manufacturing facilities, including a microbial fermentation manufacturing plant in Clackamas, Ore., and a biostimulant plant in Sonora, Mexico.

AMVAC Corp. is a subsidiary of American Vanguard Corp., Newport Beach.

Compass Minerals – Management Brief

Management Briefs, Specialty

Compass Minerals recently announced the appointment of Melissa M. Miller to the company’s Board of Directors. It said she brings more than 20 years of broad leadership experience in human resources (HR) management. She currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Arconic Corp., a manufacturer of aluminum sheet, plate, extrusions, and architectural products.

Prior to that position, which she has held since the company’s launch in 2020, she held a number of progressive HR leadership roles from 2005-2020 with Arconic Inc. and Alcoa, both predecessor companies of Arconic Corp. She first entered the corporate HR field in 1997 for Marconi, after beginning her career in early childhood learning.

Miller earned a B.S. in psychology from Pennsylvania State University.

Miller has been appointed to the Environmental, Health, Safety, and Sustainability Committee and Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee of the Board. With Miller’s appointment, the Board has expanded to 10 members.

Topsoe – Management Brief

Management Briefs, Scandinavia

Topsoe, Copenhagen, on Aug. 25 announced the appointment of Kim Saaby Hedegaard as new Executive Vice President, Power-to-X. He has served as interim Head of Power-to-X since May 2022. Before that, he held the position of Chief Operations Officer (COO).

Topsoe appointed Andreas Bruun Jørgensen to the position of COO. He had been serving as interim COO.

Hedegaard joined Topsoe in 1999 and has since held various leadership positions in engineering, technology, and sales. Since 2017, he has been globally responsible for Catalyst Production and Technology. He holds a M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark.

Jørgensen has held various leadership positions at Topsoe since he joined the company in 2010. Prior to joining Topsoe he was a process engineer at FL Smidt. He holds a M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark.

California, Oregon Companies Receive Ammonia-Related Penalties from EPA

Ammonia, California, News, News Briefs, Pacific N.W.

The U.S. EPA on Aug 17 announced a settlement with Saputo Cheese USA Inc., the owner and operator of a mozzarella cheese and whey protein concentrate production facility in Tulare, Calif. EPA said Saputo Cheese violated provisions of the Clean Air Act intended to safeguard the public from accidental releases of hazardous chemicals. As a result, the company will pay $170,000 in civil penalties, ensure compliance with its Risk Management Plan, and make safety improvements to its facility, with the goal of protecting the public and first responders from dangerous chemicals.

An accident at the facility on June 22, 2018, led to the release of 5,690 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. The facility is in a community that is disproportionally affected by environmental burdens, and incidents like these raise significant environmental justice concerns, which are a priority for EPA.

EPA performed an inspection of the Saputo Cheese facility in 2019 and found that the company failed to correct corrosion on piping and structural supports and failed to demonstrate that safety vents met industry standards. EPA also found that Saputo Cheese did not accurately report the total amount of ammonia it manages and failed to comply with requirements related to planning for accidental releases. EPA found that safety improvements were necessary at the facility to help prevent future accidents.

On Aug. 22, EPA announced that Smith Frozen Foods, Inc., Weston, Ore., has agreed to pay a $100,000 penalty for Clean Air Act violations. During inspections conducted in 2016, EPA found that the company failed to maintain and implement its required Risk Management Plan when using and storing anhydrous ammonia.

E.ON, Uniper Ink Green Ammonia MOUs with Nova Scotia’s EverWind

Canada, Featured, Germany, Green Ammonia, News

German energy companies E.ON and Uniper on Aug. 23 announced that they have each signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to purchase 500,000 mt/y of green ammonia from EverWind Fuels Co., Halifax, Nova Scotia, a private developer of green hydrogen and ammonia.

EverWind and the buyers plan to negotiate binding offtake agreements. The ammonia will come from EverWind’s production facility in Point Tupper, Nova Scotia, a multi-phase green hydrogen and ammonia production and export facility, which is in advanced stages of development and is expected to reach commercial operation in early 2025, the first in Atlantic Canada.

EverWind said its facility is situated on a site in Port Hawkesbury and benefits from over $600 million of world-class infrastructure, including an existing ice-free deep-water port with two berths that are capable of accommodating the largest vessels in the world.

The company said the facility will produce green hydrogen and convert it into green ammonia using a mix of certified green power from the Nova Scotia grid and onshore wind power, achieving total production of approximately 1 million mt/y of green ammonia. Future phases will be powered by offshore wind, which the company said would enable production of over 10 million mt/y of green ammonia and will be serviced by EverWind’s existing marine infrastructure.

IPF to Acquire Yara Nipro Business in Australia

Australia, News, News Briefs, Specialty

Incitec Pivot Fertilisers (IPF) on Aug. 24 announced that it has reached an agreement with Yara Australia to acquire the Yara Nipro liquid fertilizer business in Australia. IPF said its investment would be A$20 million.

The Yara Nipro business is complementary to IPF’s border business. The acquisition of Yara Nipro operations in Moree and Whitton in New South Wales and Boundary Bend in Victoria will provide excellent liquid fertilizer options and enhanced security of supply across Australia’s East Coast according to Jeanne Johns, Managing Director and CEO of Incitec Pivot Ltd.

IPF CFO Chris Opperman said the acquisition is expected to be EPS accretive in the first year, with additional synergies to enhance the returns further. He noted that it comes as IPL advances its proposed separation plans, which would make IPF a standalone business.

“The addition of Yara Nipro to IPF is entirely in line with plans to expand the business and seize opportunities that will see it thrive following the proposed transaction,” said Johns.

The deal is still subject to clearance by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

EPA Moves to Strengthen RMP Rule for Chemical Facilities

News, News Briefs, U.S.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Aug.19 proposed revisions to the Risk Management Program (RMP) to strengthen the rule and create greater transparency and protections for communities living near chemical facilities.

The proposed rule, known as the “Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention Rule,” would strengthen the existing program and includes new safeguards that have not been addressed in prior RMP rules. Some of the proposed requirements include identifying safer technologies and chemical alternatives, more thorough incident investigations, and third-party auditing for facilities with a bad track record of accidents.

The proposed revisions would also require regulated facilities to evaluate risks of natural hazards and climate change, including any associated loss of power, and would advance greater employee participation and opportunity for decision-making in facility accident prevention requirements.

“Protecting public health is central to EPA’s mission, particularly as we adapt to the challenges of climate change, and the proposal announced today advances this effort, especially for those in vulnerable communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This rule will better protect communities from chemical accidents, and advance environmental justice for communities that have been disproportionately impacted by these facilities.”

EPA published its first RMP regulation in 1996. In January 2017, the RMP Amendments Final Rule issued new requirements for prevention, response, and public disclosure of information, based in part on efforts by the Obama administration to enhance chemical plant safety after the 2013 West Fertilizer explosion in West, Texas.

Under the Trump administration, however, key provisions of the new RMP were paused. Instead, in 2019, the “RMP Reconsideration Final Rule” rescinded or modified some of the measures in the 2017 rule, including the elimination of requirements to assess potentially safer technologies and processes that may limit hazards. It also eliminated requirements to conduct “root cause” analyses after accidents, hire third parties to audit the facilities after accidents, and provide the public with information about chemical hazards upon request.

EPA said the new proposed amendments “will foster safer communities by reducing the frequency of accidental chemical releases” and their adverse effects. “This rule is critical piece of EPA’s work to advance environmental justice as these facilities are often located in communities that have historically borne a disproportionate burden from pollution,” the agency said.

EPA will hold virtual public hearings on the proposed amendments on Sept. 26, 27, and 28, and will be accepting written comments during the public comment period. The public may comment on the proposed rule at www.regulations.gov (Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2022-0174) until 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Currently, EPA regulates approximately 12,000 RMP facilities throughout the country such as agricultural supply distributors, water and wastewater treatment facilities, chemical manufacturers and distributors, food and beverage manufacturers, chemical warehouses, oil refineries, and other chemical facilities.

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