SOP producer Cinis Fertilizer on June 4 inaugurated its first sulfate of potash (SOP) plant in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, which uses a fossil-free production method with a low carbon footprint by using industrial waste as inputs.
“Today we have reached an important milestone with the production of potassium sulfate and sodium chloride,” said Jakob Liedberg, Founder and CEO of Cinis Fertilizer. “We have achieved this in record time.”
Construction of the plant commenced in February 2023 and first production began on May 8 (GM May 10, p. 30). The company hopes to ramp the plant up to its 100,000 mt/y capacity by the end of 2024.
“The steps that are now being taken are an important contribution to our and Europe’s food supply,” said Dan Ericsson, Sweden’s Minister for Rural Affairs. “The fact that it is also produced fossil-free is an important climate perspective. This facility will not only strengthen our country’s own capabilities, it also opens up opportunities for exports to other countries.”
Cinis recycles waste products from battery manufacturing, as well as the pulp industry and other industries, to produce SOP. The company is planning a second 200,000 mt/y SOP plant in Bergsbyn, Sweden (GM June 23, 2023), and announced in September that it will build a 300,000 mt/y SOP plant in Hopkinsville, Ky., with production slated for 2026 (GM Sept. 22, 2023).