All Posts from October 8, 2012

Tight conditions imposed on SeaGate terminal

News, News Briefs

Chesapeake, Va. — SeaGate Handling has agreed with city officials and members of the community that no highly hazardous chemicals – apparently including sulfuric acid – will be handled or stored on property the city has rezoned for use as a waterfront terminal. Seagate not only agreed to the restrictions, but proffered the conditions in its application after a series of meetings with concerned residents. “This was something the community was basically concerned about,” according to the project manager in the city planning department, who asked not to be identified. “The proffers came directly from the applicant. Leading up to this the company held a series of (community) meetings, and these proffers were the result of those meetings and they were approved by the city council.” SeaGate Handling President Kevin Glover didn’t confirm these meetings or the restrictions specifically, but told Green Markets: “The rezoning took quite a bit longer than we expected it would, and it was quite a process! At this point we can’t confirm any of the products we hope to handle there. It will be really a market-driven terminal.” But when asked by the local press after the rezoning vote whether the agreement included not handling sulfur or any sulfuric acid, Glover responded, “It’s on the public record.” In the proffer recommended by the planning commission, SeaGate agrees that no chemical or material on the “List of Highly Hazardous Chemicals, Toxics and Reactives” shall be received, handled, or stored on the property in any amount. Furthermore, the applicant/owner agrees that no application shall be filed with the City of Chesapeake for any land use that includes any chemical, toxic, or reactive listed. SeaGate Handling, a liquid and dry bulk terminaling facility headquartered in Savannah, Ga., had purchased 24 acres with deep water frontage in Chesapeake, which provides direct access to the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River with a depth of 45 feet. The facility is serviced by both CSX and Norfolk Southern through the Norfolk & Portsmouth Beltline Railroad, and is also located with immediate highway access to Interstate 464.

CVR to do IPO for refinery

News, News Briefs

Sugar Land, Texas — CVR Energy Inc. said Oct. 1 that CVR Refining LP (CVR Refining), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with a proposed initial public offering of its common units representing limited partner interests. CVR Refining intends to list its common units on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CVRR." The number of common units to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined. All of the common units to be sold in this offering (including the common units that may be sold to satisfy the underwriters’ over-allotment option) will be sold by CVR Refining. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. will act as joint book-running managers for the proposed offering. The offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but has not yet become effective. CVR Energy Inc.’s subsidiary and affiliated businesses operate independent refining assets in Coffeyville, Kan., and Wynnewood, Okla., with more than 185,000 barrels per day of processing capacity, a marketing network for supplying high value transportation fuels to customers through tanker trucks and pipeline terminals, and a crude oil gathering system serving central Kansas, Oklahoma, western Missouri, southwestern Nebraska, and Texas. In addition, CVR Energy subsidiaries own a majority interest in and serve as the general partner of CVR Partners LP, a producer of ammonia and urea ammonium nitrate, or UAN, fertilizers.

Research aims to recover phos in wastewater

News, News Briefs

East Lansing, Mich. — Michigan State University (MSU) AgBioResearch scientists are developing a cost-effective method of removing phosphorus from wastewater and making it available as fertilizer. Steve Safferman, an associate professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering, and colleagues at MetaMateria Technologies based in Columbus, Ohio, are devising a cost-effective way of recovering the phosphorus, which can then be reused for fertilizer products. So far, the research team has figured out how to produce a medium enhanced with nanoparticles composed of iron that can efficiently remove significant amounts of phosphorous from water. “Phosphorous that is dissolved in wastewater, like sugar in water, is hard to remove,” Safferman said. “We found that a nano-medium made with waste iron can efficiently absorb it, making it a solid that can be easily and efficiently removed and recovered for beneficial reuse.” Safferman said that there are indications that their method of phosphorus retrieval is much more cost-effective than processing phosphate rock. “Research suggests that it is significantly cheaper to recover phosphorus this way. So why would you mine phosphorus?” he asked. “And, at the same time, it’s helping to solve a serious environmental problem.” The material should be commercially available for use within two years, said J. Richard Schorr, MetaMateria CEO. “Phosphorus is a finite material,” Schorr said. “Analyses show that the supply of phosphorous may become limited within the next 25 to 50 years. This is an economical way to harvest and recycle phosphorus.” This research is funded in part by a National Science Foundation Small Business Innovative Research Grant.

Co-op opens new elevator and agronomy center

Featured, News

After nearly a year of construction, a $7 million grain and agronomy facility built by North Central Farmers Elevator is in operation east of Faulkton in central South Dakota.

The new facility includes four grain bins with capacity for 950,000 bushels, an outdoor pad with 1 million bushels capacity, and two receiving pits. The facility’s agronomy center, which opened last April, has six above-ground tanks with total storage capacity of 850 st of dry fertilizer, eight liquid tanks with 100,000 gallons capacity, and four bulk seed tanks that can hold approximately 15,000 pounds of seed.

North Central has 12 employees at Faulkton, with five in the agronomy department. The location is managed by Marv Hutchinson, with the agronomy department managed by Kevin Stark.

North Central acquired the site when it bought Faulkton Farmers Elevator in December 2010. The original elevator remains open, bringing total grain storage capacity at the Faulkton site to roughly 2.6 million bushels. The location has no rail access, so all tonnage is moved by truck.

Headquartered in Ipswich, S.D., North Central is a full service, farmer-owned cooperative with 17 locations serving more than 2,500 producer-members in north central South Dakota and south central North Dakota. The company has been in business since 1915, when it got its start as Farmers Equity Elevator Company. The name changed to North Central Farmers Elevator in 1993.

In 1999 the cooperative built a 1 million gallon UAN tank in Ipswich; in 2005 it completed construction of its Mega Fertilizer Plant in Craven, S.D., which has dry capacity of 32,500 st (GM March 15, 2004). The cooperative also completed construction of an agronomy center and fertilizer plant in Highmore, S.D., in 2010.

Compass Minerals – Management Brief

Management Briefs, News

Dr. Angelo Brisimitzakis, president and CEO of Compass Minerals, Overland Park, Kan., has announced his intention to retire at the end of 2012 after seven years leading the company. He also intends to resign his seat on the board of directors at that time. Prior to joining Compass in May 2006, Dr. Brisimitzakis held increasingly significant leadership positions with General Electric Co. and Great Lakes Chemical Corp. The board of directors has retained a leading executive recruitment firm to assist in the search for his successor.

IC Potash Corp. – Management Brief

Management Briefs, News

IC Potash Corp. (ICP), Toronto, has announced the appointment of Bob Mueller as senior vice president of internal development. Since 1999, he has served as senior consultant and vice president of the global natural resources practice at Vanto Group, a global consulting firm. ICP says Mueller has over three decades of experience working with major corporations in the automotive, steel, general manufacturing, and mining industries. With Vanto, he has led consulting projects in South Africa, the United States, Canada, South America, New Zealand, and Australia. ICP intends to become a primary producer of sulfate of potash products by developing a mine in New Mexico.

Dyno Nobel announces DEF expansion

News, News Briefs

Salt Lake City — Dyno Nobel, a subsidiary of Incitec Pivot Ltd., said Sept. 28 that it plans to continue investment into manufacturing diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). Utilizing its existing plants, the company expects to have two of its North American manufacturing facilities dispatching DEF in bulk by third quarter 2013. DEF production will be expanded at Dyno Nobel’s St. Helens, Ore., plant and introduced at its Cheyenne, Wyo., plant. Once expansion activities are complete, St. Helens will offer increased production capacity, additional storage (with two new 100,000 gallon tanks), and improved truck and railcar loading facilities. New capacity will be available by the end of fourth quarter 2012. The company is also making capital investments to introduce production capability to manufacture DEF at Cheyenne. The project incorporates two 100,000 gallon storage tanks and both truck and railcar loading capability, and is anticipated to be completed by third quarter 2013. "This new capacity will certainly be welcomed by the DEF market” said Chris Telschow, Dyno Nobel Industrial Chemicals Sales Manager. “Our high quality product and excellent loading capability continues to attract significant interest from DEF customers within our region."

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