MechChem Africa June 2019

⎪ Chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas ⎪

Sappi and Borregaard celebrate 20 years of biorefinery investment years. The plant was expanded three times since inception, in 2003, 2008 and in 2017. Throughout the plant’s existence, small and medium suppliers have benefited as contrac- tors and sub-contractors. Thousands of tem- porary jobs have also been created through the expansion projects. initial 55 kt/a plant and has matured into one of the largest lignosulphonate manufacturers globallywhileproducinghighqualityproducts. LignoTechSouthAfrica’soutputissoldinSouth AfricaandexportedtocountriesinAfrica,Asia Pacific, the Middle East and South America and is used ina rangeof applications, including dustsuppression,concreteadditives,pelleting agentsinanimalfeedsandmineralgranulation aids, to name a few,” he concludes q Mark Antonie, LignoTech South Africa general manager commented: “We are very proud that the business has grown from the

E qually co-owned as a joint venture between Sappi Southern Africa and Borregaard AS of Norway, LignoTech South Africa’s plant in Umkomaas, KwaZulu- Natal was first commissioned in December 1998 and officially opened in 1999. The ligninextractionplantwas designed to generate revenue from a previously-unused componentoftheeffluentstreamfromSappi’s Saiccor mill. Lignini, a binding and dispersing agent, is commonly used in a wide range of agricultural and industrial applications. Gary Bowles, group head of technology at Sappi commentedon the20-year anniversary andsaid:“LignoTechhasseentremendoussuc- cess. Sappi and Borregaard showed faith and commitment 20 years ago and have created a synergistic integration of local competencies, infrastructure and rawmaterial with interna- tionally proven technology and global reach. This innovative venture continues to benefit all stakeholders. LignoTech is an example of Sappi’s commitment toworkwith partners to develop solutions, in particular in the exciting fields of biochemicals and biomaterials.” Per A. Sørlie, CEO of Borregaard added: “Borregaardisaproudco-ownerofLignoTech. The partnership produces high value-added products from a local raw material, creates more than 100 jobs, generates export rev- enues for South Africa and has a positive impact on the environment.” The location in South Africa was chosen because of the ready availability of a sus- tainable supply of raw materials, effective infrastructure, highly competent people, the relatively low cost of production and proxim- ity to export markets via the Port of Durban. The success of the venture can be seen in the expansions undertaken during the 20

thyssenkrupp order for fertiliser plant in Egypt The plant engineering business of thyssen- krupp has won a major product order from the Egyptian chemical and fertiliser manu- facturer, El NasrCompany, for Intermediate Chemicals (NCIC), which will be realised together in a consortiumwith the Egyptian company PETROJET. It is expected to begin operations in 2022 and produce up to 440 000 t of ammonia, 380 000 t of urea and 300 000 t of calcium ammonium nitrate every year. The new plants are part of NCIC’s plans to expand its current product portfolio to include high-quality nitrogen fertiliser for local and export markets. Nitrogen is a key nutrient for plant growth and of critical importance for industrial agriculture.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) order for the new fertil- iser complex, valued in the mid three-digit million-euro range, was signed in Cairo in March 2019. “We have a particularly successful part- nership with Egypt stretching back more than160years, whichoffers great potential for the future. Our longstanding experi- ence in plant construction, our strong local presence and close collaboration with our customers forms the basis of our success and strong market position in the region,” saysMarcelFasswald,CEOofthyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions. The new fertiliser complex will be built in Ain El Sokhna, about 100 km southeast of Cairo, close to the existing NCIC phos- phatic and compound fertiliser complex.

“To datewe have planned and built 16 of the 17 existing nitrogen fertiliser plants in the country and are delighted that another state-of-the-art plant will now be added,” concludes Ralf Richmann, CEO, Fertiliser & Syngas Technologies. q

June 2019 • MechChem Africa ¦ 21