In This Issue
12/2/2011
Cover Story
OCP Group — building on the past, looking to the future

For a nation only slightly larger than the state of California, Morocco seems to do things big. For Morocco-based Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP), things are about to get bigger. Starting this fall, OCP, which already assumes the role as top owner of the world’s phosphate reserves, will begin construction of four new fertilizer plants in the port of Jorf Lasfar. The total investment is estimated at about 2.5 billion USD.

Morocco owns about two thirds of the world's reserves of phosphate rock, which the four new plants will leverage, raising OCP’s mining capacity by nearly 70 percent. Also increasing will be Morocco’s production capacity of downstream fertilizers, including diammonium phosphate (DAP), which is expected to reach 3,800,000 tons annually. The four new units will make Morocco “by far the largest supplier of phosphate rock, phosphoric acid, DAP and monoammonium phosphate (MAP),” OCP said.

OCP’s investment is based on expected increases in phosphate demand, driven by rising world population, changing diets and the need to improve agriculture yields in Africa and other developing areas. “This major investment in increasing our capacity is a prudent response to long-term market trends and a strong sign of OCP’s commitment to do its part to assure a stable, reliable supply of this vital resource to global markets,” OCP Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mostafa Terrab said. Read More>>



Also included in this issue...

INDUSTRY & PRODUCT NEWS
  • Freeport-McMoRan completes Safford sulfur burner
  • Central Engineering opens satellite office in Louisiana
  • Topsøe’s WSA technology – now 100 plants and still going strong
  • CER signs $9.9 Million contract with Beijing Guodian Longyuan Environmental Engineering Co., Ltd
  • Outotec to deliver gas cleaning and sulfuric acid plant technology to Uzbekistan Ma’aden and SABIC joint venture begins production
  • Qatar looks to become major player in sulfur industry

FEATURES & GUEST COLUMNS
  • Global sulfuric acid market–review of 2011 and outlook for 2012
  • Hydrogen safety in the sulfuric acid industry
  • Safety! The next frontier
  • Improving sulfuric acid plant performance with MECS’ new GEAR™ catalysts
  • The Roberts Company opens new fabrication facility in Winterville, NC
  • Tyco Thermal Controls offers new industrial strength acid leak sensors
  • NORAM introduces Hot Sweep to Matamoros, Mexico, facility
  • At Lewis Pumps, people make the difference
  • The optical DOAS gas monitoring technique
  • Acid plant upgrades to acid systems
  • Corrosion prevention with anodic protection
  • Steuler-KCH — Complete solutions, one supplier
  • DuPont’s sulfuric acid safety seminars bears repeating
  • Rockwood Pigments chooses Beltran system
  • Sulfuric acid professionals attend the 2011 AIChE Clearwater Convention
  • Sharing information at the 2011 Sulfuric Acid Roundtable
  • Innovation was theme for first SYMPHOS conference
And much more!

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