A senior government official revealed in an interview that the Mexican mining group may restart the San Martin mine in early 2019, the largest underground mine in Mexico, which was discontinued more than a decade ago due to strikes by workers.

Carlos Barcena, Minister of Economy of Zacatecas, where the mine is located, said that the Mexican mining group has started mine repair work and is expected to be completed and put into production in the first quarter of 2019.

A company insider familiar with the situation confirmed the plan but was not allowed to be interviewed. The company spokesperson declined to comment.

The San Martin mine was discontinued in July 2007 due to labor conflicts with the National Miners Union (SNTMMSRM) under Napoleon Gomez, and Napoleon Gomez is currently serving as a senator. Before the shutdown, the mine produced about 8,000 tons of copper and 19,000 tons of zinc in 2005.

Earlier this year, a group of workers who participated in the strike agreed to change their demands by the National Union of Independent Alliances in order to resolve the protracted conflict. Last week, at the request of the workers of the National Union of Independent Alliances, the government responsible for resolving labor disputes decided to end the strike.

But last Thursday, a spokesperson for the National Miners Union (SNTMMSRM) said that the real miners are still on strike and the coalition will file a lawsuit on the decision to end the strike.

Monex analysts said the project restarted to increase the Mexican mining group’s annual sales by 1%.

On September 6, the London LME market three-month futures zinc closing price of 2441.00 US dollars / ton, the price rose. Spot price 2469.50-2470.50 US dollars / ton, spot zinc prices rose. On September 6th, the LME market zinc ingot futures traded 120259.00 hands, the market trading activity was general, and the inventory decreased.

BobPatel, chief executive of Lyondell Basel, has predicted that the global polyethylene (PE) market will remain tight this year and next.

Patel said in the company’s second-quarter earnings conference call: “Last year, our global ethylene and polyethylene capacity utilization rate is close to full load. If we look at the supply and demand changes in 2017-2018, we will find that supply growth exceeds The proportion of demand growth is less than 1%. For high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the demand growth rate in 2018 will exceed the supply growth rate by about 1.5%. HDPE accounts for approximately 70% of the PE production of Leandersale.

Pate expects that global PE supply and demand growth will be close to equilibrium in 2019, while HDPE demand growth will once again exceed supply growth. “If the capacity utilization rate drops by 1% by the end of this year, in my opinion, we are still in a very tight market. There will not be too much capacity to put into production in the next few years,” he added.

According to a Reuters report in New York, the US Energy Information Administration said in a two monthly report released on Friday that US crude oil production increased by 231,000 barrels per day, an increase of 2%, reaching a record of 10.674 million barrels per day in June.

The agency also raised its estimate for May by 1,000 barrels per day to 10.4 million barrels per day.

US crude oil production has been growing and is close to Russia and Saudi Arabia, the two largest oil producers. According to a Reuters survey, Saudi Arabia’s daily production in August was 10.5 million barrels, and Russia’s daily production in July was 11.2 million barrels. It is expected to maintain this level in August.

This increase reflects the increase in production in Texas, where production increased by 165,000 barrels per day to 4.4 million barrels per day, an increase of 3.9%. Production in the Gulf of Mexico also rose, rising by 154,000 barrels per day to 1.7 million barrels per day, an increase of 10.3%.

Exports of crude oil and refined products increased from a month ago. Crude oil exports rose nearly 200,000 barrels per day this month, setting a new record of 2.2 million barrels per day, more than double the amount in June last year.

Export increased coke production to reduce downstream fertilizer

After the consolidation in January, the domestic ammonium sulfate market reappeared in the late August. Last week, the domestic mainstream transaction price was 520~690 yuan (ton price, the same below), and the weekly increase was about 3%. Recently, the prices of enterprises in various places have been firm, and some regions have exceeded 700 yuan, showing a steady trend.

Shandong trader Zhang Yi said that most of the recent production enterprise inventory has been transferred to traders’ warehouses or ports, and coal chemical enterprises in Shanxi and Inner Mongolia have even reached zero inventory, which laid the foundation for the steady rise of ammonium sulfate.

Export orders drive demand

China Chemical News reporter learned from the port importers and exporters that due to tight supply in northwestern Europe and the small supply of Russia and Belarus in September, the international ammonium sulphate orders began to increase in mid-to-late August, driving the market price to rise steadily.

It is understood that the recent closure of the SECO Fertilisants plant in France has reduced the capacity of 100,000 tons/year of ammonium sulphate; due to production problems in many local factories, the supply of granular ammonium sulphate in northwestern Europe has become increasingly tight; Brazil’s willingness to find goods has increased due to insufficient local supply. The new demand for coking ammonium sulfate in northern China appears. It is planned to find 100,000 tons of goods from China from September to October, and the price is higher than the domestic market.

This round of international orders has increased, allowing many exporters to increase their efforts to purchase inventories, further stimulating domestic supply and the transaction price has also increased. This has brought about a new round of growth in the long-stayed export market, providing a basis for the future of ammonium sulfate.

Environmental protection boost production pre-reduction

According to the person in charge of Henan Xuchang Changsheng Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., the second round of environmental protection inspectors continued to deepen. In August, the inspection team settled in Henan and Shanxi, and the operating rate of local coke enterprises continued to decline. In Jiangsu, in late August, the coking enterprises in Xuzhou were once again suspended from production, and the driving time was not fixed, resulting in a reduction in the supply of coking ammonium sulfate and a steady increase in prices. In Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, most coal chemical companies were in an overhaul state in August, further reducing social supply. For example, when the Inner Mongolia Datang Coal Gas Company shut down and repaired in late August, ammonium sulfate was cleared, which became one of the reasons for the promotion.

Meng Jianjie, manager of Zhengzhou Dayou Gas Marketing Department, said that the recent use of natural gas in many coal-fired boilers in various places has led to further reduction of ammonium sulfate produced by desulfurization of coal-fired boilers. It is expected that this reduction in production will continue.

Autumn stocking starts early

Feedback from Inner Mongolia, Hebei and other places indicates that in August, due to the reduction in supply, traders prepared for the fall preparation in advance. The increase in port demand, the reduction of production by environmentally-friendly coke enterprises and the supply of fertilizer in autumn have created a source of competition, which has caused traders to worry about tight supply and prepare for storage in advance. Recently, the ammonium sulfate of mass production enterprises has rapidly flowed to the stocks of traders, resulting in a decrease in social circulation, and it is impossible to rule out the possibility of speculation in the market.

According to Wang Liwen, business manager of Xinjiang Xintian Coal-to-Gas Co., Ltd., due to transportation reasons, most of the ammonium sulfate produced by the company is digested locally. Now it is basically out of stock, and even if it is in stock, it is difficult to transport it to the inland market. Affected by the overall market situation, the local ammonium sulfate price has steadily increased, and the current ex-factory price has reached more than 450 yuan.

Market participants believe that the recent depreciation of the renminbi will continue to favor the export market and form price support. However, environmental factors have also affected downstream compound fertilizer companies, resulting in no significant increase in demand for ammonium sulfate. Therefore, domestic exports and fertilizers are lagging behind, and whether there is a need to make up the surplus can continue to be uncertain. September is expected to be a key node in the trend of ammonium sulphate market, and should be focused on.

According to the report of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, natural gas will be the fastest growing energy product in China in the next 30 years. By 2030, China’s natural gas demand will be nearly 520 billion cubic meters, and by 2050 it will exceed 800 billion cubic meters.

At the 7th annual meeting of the Global Energy Security Think Tank Forum held in Beijing recently, the report “China Energy Outlook 2018～2050” issued by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences shows that under the joint effect of supply-side reform and economic growth path changes, In the next 30 years, China’s energy demand structure will undergo major changes. By 2050, coal will account for less than 40% of energy demand; by contrast, the share of natural gas demand will rise sharply and is expected to increase to more than 20%.

From the perspective of the application of natural gas, the report believes that the future increase in the power sector will come from natural gas power generation. Natural gas power generation will emerge from the current position as a peaking power source and become one of the main forms of power generation. It is estimated that natural gas power generation will reach about 335.1 billion kWh by 2020, about 582.2 billion kWh in 2030, and 1 trillion kWh in 2050. At the same time, natural gas power generation will also be used for heating, to some extent to make up for the decline in thermal power.

Experts said that the sharp increase in demand for natural gas in the future will also bring new issues to the field of energy security. Liu Qiang, secretary general of the Global Energy Security Think Tank Forum, said: “In the future, the main influencing factors of China’s energy security will come from natural gas, which requires us to seriously study the energy security of natural gas supply.”

Houston reported on August 26, according to Thomson Reuters statistics, Venezuela’s daily exports of crude oil to the United States in July fell to 494,400 barrels in the first three months, indicating the Venezuelan National Oil Company (CIS/PDVSA) Crude oil production is affected by the seizure of its assets.

Statistics show that July is the first month that Venezuela’s daily export volume of crude oil has fallen below 500,000 barrels since January to March this year.

US oil producer ConocoPhillips began to detain Citi’s overseas assets in May this year, trying to profit from a $2 billion arbitral award. ConocoPhillips’ legal action prevented CFO from entering most of its terminals in the Caribbean, thereby limiting the continued reduction of Citizen’s oil exports.

Most of Venezuela’s customers in the United States now receive less and less Venezuela. According to statistics, Venezuela had 30 ships of crude oil delivered to US ports in July, a decrease of 3 ships from June. The data shows that the volume of transactions in July was 12% lower than that in June and 22.5% from the same period last year.

Russia is the leading fertilizer producer in the world and one of the top five suppliers in the international market. In the next eight years, with the expansion of production capacity exceeding the growth rate of domestic consumption, fertilizer exports will continue to accelerate.

The main export products will be urea, potassium chloride and sulfur-containing ternary fertilizers. The upgrading and expansion of the equipment will increase the ability to supply the international market, and Russian producers have sufficient phosphate resources, and they have the ability to take advantage of the growing The global compound fertilizer market.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics of the Russian Federation, the compound fertilizer growth rate of Russian fertilizer production in 2010-2017 was 3.35%. In 2017, the chemical fertilizer production reached 22.5 million tons of nutrients, most of which have already been exported.

The fertilizer industry development plan adopted by the Russian government at the end of March requires that by 2025, fertilizer production will increase by 5.5 million tons (compared with an average annual growth rate of 2.76%), which means that exports will further increase.

Nitrogen production is expected to increase from 10 million tons last year to 12.3 million tons by 2025; production of phosphate (P2O5) and potash (K2O) is expected to increase from 3.9 million tons and 8.6 million tons in 2017 to 4 million, respectively. Tons and 11.7 million tons.

The continuous increase in production over the past seven years has led to an increase in exports. In 2010-2017, the compound annual growth rate of chemical fertilizer exports was 3.02%, reaching 34.3 million tons. In 2017, exports of potassium chloride accounted for 32% of total exports, and exports of urea and ammonium nitrate accounted for 19% and 10% of total exports. Compound fertilizers and ammonium phosphate exports accounted for 17% and 10% of total exports.

Russia’s urea production has grown steadily over the past seven years due to upgrades to existing facilities and the commissioning of new installations. From 2010 to 2017, Russia built two urea plants and three large-particle urea plants. Eurochem’s second large-grain urea production line in Novomoskovsk was commissioned in 2010. Phosagro commissioned a 495,000 tonne/year pellet urea plant and a 500,000 tonne/year large particle urea plant in Cherepovets in 2012 and 2017 respectively. In 2012, Acron built a 335,000 tonne/year urea plant in its Veliky Novgorod. In 2015, Acron built a 717,000 tonne/year large particle urea plant near the original ammonium nitrate plant.

In the past seven years, most of the urea plants in Russia have been operating close to capacity or slightly above capacity. However, by 2017, Togliattiazot used only one of its two sets of 480,000 tonne/year urea plants. The company resumed production of a second production line last year. As a result, production increased from 552,200 tons in 2016 to a maximum of 720,200 tons in the past six years.

Russian companies plan to significantly expand urea capacity in the next few years. Acron expects to build a 600 ton/day urea plant in Veliky Novgorod in the summer of 2018, the company’s sixth urea plant, and is upgrading its existing production line. After the project was put into operation, the plant has a total capacity of 3,650 tons/day. Methanol producer Metafrax plans to start construction of a synthetic ammonia-urea-melamine co-production unit in Perm Krai this year, with a urea capacity of 56.2 tons/day. Togliattiazot has secured a loan this year for the construction of a third urea plant with a capacity of 2,200 tons per day; the plant is scheduled to go into production in 2020. Uralchem ​​plans to complete the technical transformation of the Perm plant in 2019, increasing its capacity by 254,000 tons per year. Eurochem also expands urea production at its Nevinnomyssk plant. By 2025, Russia’s urea capacity is expected to increase by more than 1.8 million tons / year.

In recent years, Russia has also proposed some urea projects, but the financing has not yet been completed. For example, Kuibyshevazot announced in July 2017 that it has formed a joint venture with MaireTecnimont to develop a new 1500 tonne/day urea project in Togliatti. Ammoni is also considering the second phase of the project “Ammoni -2″, which signed a preliminary agreement with the parties including Russian oil company Tatneft in February 2016.

The increase in production will boost Russian urea exports. Russian farmers’ demand for urea is growing, but it is still low compared to ammonium nitrate; according to the Russian Fertilizer Producers Association (RAPU), urea consumed to local farmers last year was 293,500 tons, compared to 22.37 tons in 2016. . Delivery to industrial buyers also showed slow growth; shipments in 2017 increased from 887,300 tons in 2016 to 889,500 tons.

Since the beginning of the new century, in order to further make up for the shortage of mineral resources in China, the tension between supply and demand has been alleviated. Under the guidance of a series of national support and regulation of industrial development policies, China’s renewable metal industry has made full use of international resources to develop rapidly, and the proportion of trade accounts for global non-ferrous metal scrap. More than half of the countries or regions that have allocated resources across the country have reached more than 80. The cumulative import of copper and aluminum scrap has exceeded 100 million tons, and nearly 70 million tons of recycled non-ferrous metal products have been produced. Among them, the recycled copper produced by the use of imported copper-containing scrap accounts for more than 70% of the total; the recycled aluminum produced by the imported aluminum-containing waste accounts for nearly 55% of the total. It has realized the goal of rapid utilization of international non-ferrous metal scrap resources to expand China’s renewable non-ferrous metal industry, and made positive contributions to the non-ferrous metal materials to meet the needs of economic and social development.

Since last year, the state has further strengthened the construction of ecological civilization, completely banned the entry of foreign garbage, and promoted the reform of the import management system for solid waste. Recently, the Sino-US trade war has restricted the import of aluminum alloy scrap, which has seriously affected enterprises that have long relied on imported waste for production. . Faced with these challenges, we should recognize the supply pattern of the domestic aluminum scrap market, improve the efficiency of resource utilization, eliminate the impact of trade wars, clear the blurred line of sight, and recover the missing and wasted resources. Many aluminum scrap resources quickly returned to the production enterprises, making China’s recycled aluminum industry shift from import-led development to self-sufficiency and healthy development.

Aluminum scrap market

Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely, and the energy required to recover aluminum is about 95% lower than that of producing primary aluminum, reducing emissions by more than 90%. Since its production began in 1888, aluminum has produced about 1 billion tons, of which 75% are still being recycled. Since aluminum is processed into consumer or industrial products according to market needs, aluminum scrap is composed of two new waste forms: “new” and “old”. Aluminum produces new waste during the forging and casting of products, recycling old waste from end-of-life products or all types of waste products. There is also a dregs (aluminum ash) that is often overlooked and that is less important.

Due to the high economic value of aluminum, the recovery rate of aluminum has been very high. The recovery rate of aluminum in the construction and transportation and packaging industries is up to 95%, and the recycling of foil in the packaging industry is also increasing. In 2017, the global total aluminum output was 94.848 million tons, of which 30,866,000 tons of metal aluminum (recycled aluminum or secondary aluminum) was used for waste production, accounting for 32.7%, and alumina production (primary aluminum) was 63.826 million tons, accounting for 67.3%.

Global production and growth trends of primary and recycled aluminum

Obviously, countries with high aluminum consumption are also the countries with the largest amount of aluminum scrap. At present, the world’s aluminum scrap is mainly concentrated in the three regions of the United States, the European Union and China; a large part of high-quality waste in Europe and America is recycled internally to make new aluminum. Due to the relatively short service life of packaging and automobiles, the recycling rate and recycling rate of scraps are fast. Therefore, the excess is exported. In the past, China was the main importer of aluminum scraps for broken cars in Europe and America.

The United States is the region with the longest history of aluminum production and consumption, and the world’s most abundant aluminum scrap resource. In addition to meeting the waste required for secondary aluminum production in China, it also exports 2 million tons of waste every year, accounting for one-third of the total global waste supply. In 2016, the total consumption of metal aluminum in the United States was 9.538 million tons, of which 5.325 million tons of recycled aluminum, accounting for 55.8% of total aluminum metal consumption. In 2016, the United States produced 6.508 million tons of recycled aluminum. Among them, the use of new waste production of 1.972 million tons, accounting for 30.3%, the use of old waste production of 4.536 million tons, accounting for 69.7%.

The EU – accounting for more than 15% of global aluminum consumption, aluminum consumption is mainly concentrated in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, which is the location of the world’s largest car manufacturer, the development of the global aluminum industry to a large extent Depends on this market. In 2016, the total consumption of metal aluminum in the EU was 10.231 million tons, of which 4.62 million tons were recycled aluminum, accounting for 44.8% of the total metal consumption. In 2016, the EU produced 5.288 million tons of recycled aluminum. Among them, the use of new waste production of 1.767 million tons, accounting for 33.4%, the use of old waste production of 3.521 million tons, accounting for 66.6%.

China – is the world’s largest aluminum producer. Since 2001, aluminum production has been ranked first in the world. In 2016, primary aluminum production accounted for 54.4% of the world’s total, and aluminum consumption totaled 42.518 million tons, including 0.952 million tons of recycled aluminum. , accounting for 23.4% of total metal consumption. In 2016, China produced 8.507 million tons of recycled aluminum. Among them, the use of old waste production of 3.06 million tons, accounting for 36%, the use of new waste production of 5.45 million tons, accounting for 64%.

Neglected and forgotten facts

As China’s metal aluminum deposits continue to increase, China’s aluminum alloy scrap production is also growing. From 2001 to 2016 alone, China has produced 230 million tons of electrolytic aluminum, with a per capita consumption of 24 kilograms and a per capita reserve of 130 kilograms. The import volume of aluminum alloy scrap decreased from 2.85 million tons in 2010 to 1.92 million tons in 2016, and the import volume was less than 30% of the total waste supply of 7.45 million tons.

Although the import of waste has been decreasing year by year, some cases have been neglected. That is, China has entered the peak period of scrapping of aluminum since 2010. It is currently the fastest period of waste growth, in which forged aluminum alloy waste accounts for more than 60%. Aluminum alloy waste accounts for about 30%, and the total amount exceeds 10 million tons. In theory, China no longer needs to import ordinary waste aluminum alloy scraps at this stage for replenishment. However, the actual situation is that there is no separation between the old and new waste production modes in China, and a large amount of deformed aluminum alloy waste and new waste are used as waste. The diluted aluminum alloy is produced into a common cast aluminum alloy ingot. This has contributed to the continuous expansion of the production capacity of cast aluminum alloys and the import of waste aluminum alloy materials. Obviously, if the deformed aluminum alloy scrap has an advanced and standardized circulation system, it is an indisputable fact that it is impossible to produce ordinary cast aluminum alloy by using the raw aluminum as the waste material of the waste aluminum.

Aluminum produces slag during smelting, processing and recycling. In 2017, China’s aluminum slag is estimated to be more than 4.2 million tons, of which the metal aluminum content exceeds 2.2 million tons. If processed by international advanced technology, 98% (2.156 million tons) of aluminum can be recycled, and the remaining oxides 100% (2.044 million tons) can be converted into green industrial raw materials for recycling. At present, the domestic technology is backward, the recovery rate of aluminum is less than 55%, and the technology of harmless resource treatment of oxides is still blank. That is to say, in 2017, only 2.2 million tons of aluminum was recovered in China’s 4.2 million tons of aluminum slag, with 990,000. Tons of aluminum have become oxides, and the total amount of hazardous waste has increased by 2.99 million tons from 2 million tons. According to the estimated 15,000 tons of aluminum, the direct loss of the whole industry is 15 billion yuan. This is the second important fact that has long been ignored by Chinese aluminum industry companies.

The impact of the trade war

In 2017, China imported about 820,000 tons of aluminum scrap from the United States, accounting for 50% of China’s total aluminum scrap imports, accounting for 52% of total US exports.

Obviously, the Sino-US trade war will not pose a threat to the development of China’s recycled aluminum industry. As long as China’s resource efficiency is increased by 2%, it will be enough to replace the quantity imported from the United States. Therefore, the current outstanding problem in China’s aluminum industry is resource efficiency, and the core is the issue of technological innovation to enhance competitiveness.

Challenges to improve resource efficiency

Minimize the recycling of scrap aluminum and aluminum-containing scrap for recycling.

Automated mechanized pretreatment classification technology, advanced crushing and separation technology, and made it widely available.

Advanced process control technology that optimizes the processing of elements and residues that are not suitable for reuse in recycled aluminum.

Expand the number of available aluminum alloys, adapt to more aluminum scraps and directly produce them into products, and perform well in high quality and high added value.

Improve resource efficiency to achieve regenerative recycling, such as the use of hot extrusion technology to separate contaminated or mixed with the casting alloy, that is, mechanical separation using the difference between forged and cast aluminum alloy solidus temperature. Since the cast alloy has a higher alloying element content and the solidus temperature is lower than that of the wrought alloy, the mixture of the forged and foundry waste is heated to a temperature lower than the eutectic temperature, and then the forged alloy is separated by centrifugal force. The alloy element concentration is measured by a combination of techniques such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and X-ray transmission (XRT), and the wrought alloys having different compositions are separately separated and then melted.

Improve resource efficiency and optimize process technology to further reduce energy consumption and melt loss, reduce emissions, extend furnace life and improve alloy quality. For example, by improving the melting technique to eliminate the residual elements Fe, Sn, Mn and Cu, etc., these elements are detrimental to mechanical properties, and removal requires the addition of certain alloying elements to neutralize, which requires more research to improve the knowledge of recycling techniques. The manufacturing process of the new alloy also needs to be optimized accordingly. Research is needed on the basis of the process to better understand the physical phenomena that occur during melting, solidification and recycling, thus creating a knowledge base for aluminum producers to better control their processes, including the following:

- Continue to develop methods for recovering aluminum scrap from as many products as possible.

- Strategies should be adopted for the most cost-effective remelting process, including the promotion of the separation of unwanted elements such as Fe, Ni technology.

- Alternative products, such as Al-Fe deoxidizers, should be developed to take advantage of recycled aluminum parts that cannot be cost-effectively used to produce new aluminum alloys.

- New aluminum alloys designed for direct application to recycled aluminum should be carefully considered and studied.

- A study should be conducted to explore the potential for increasing the amount of alloys that can be used for direct recovery. The study should more accurately identify the current and future sources of recycled metal content and the expected composition range.

Improve resource efficiency and realize the harmlessness and resource utilization of slag. Aluminum slag, aluminum ash, salt and compound alumina can be completely recovered by using advanced technology and recycled as non-toxic materials. At present, aluminum slag has been banned in the United States, Canada and Europe. The treatment of aluminum slag has a considerable economic effect and directly affects the profitability of the enterprise. The measures that should be taken currently include the following:

- Optimize the process to prevent oxidation of the aluminum slag.

—— Shorten the transportation distance of aluminum slag, quickly close the cooling and prevent oxidation loss.

- Treat aluminum slag under the protection of salt.

—— Establish a salt residue disposal system to stabilize the recovery rate of aluminum above 98%, salt can be recycled indefinitely, and green inert alumina can enter the downstream industry.

In short, there is considerable room for improvement in the resource efficiency of aluminum recycling in China. The focus of innovation is to increase the value of aluminum scrap, reduce degradation and dilution, expand the ability to melt different types of waste, and establish and improve the slag treatment system. As long as these measures are in place, the losses recovered are immeasurable, which is of great significance for saving resources and protecting the ecological environment, improving the competitiveness of aluminum industry enterprises, and promoting the healthy development of China’s recycled aluminum industry.