Sulphur and Sulphuric acid
Overview
The global sulphur market has gone through fundamental changes in buying patterns, trade routes and pricing over the past few years. Fixed price contracts and formula-based indexation have become the dominant ways in which supplies are bought and sold around the world, which makes accurate price assessments and detailed analysis key to any sulphur market participants.
The global sulphuric acid industry has seen structural change in recent years and new capacities will continue to challenge the balance in the years to come. While demand will be driven by fertilizers — predominantly the increased production of phosphate and ammonium sulphates — the market will continue to be exposed to short-term supply shocks, especially from the metals sector.
Rising demand for battery materials such as nickel and cobalt (due to growing electric vehicle production) will in turn bolster demand for sulphur and sulphuric acid, increase competition for supply and impact pricing.
Our extensive market coverage includes formed sulphur (both granular and prilled), crushed lump sulphur, molten/liquid sulphur and sulphuric acid. Argus has decades of experience covering these markets, and incorporate our multi-commodity market expertise in key areas including phosphates and metals to provide the full market narrative.
Argus support market participants with:
- Price assessments (daily and weekly for sulphur, weekly for sulphuric acid), proprietary data and market commentary assessments
- Short and medium to long-term forecasting, modelling and analysis of sulphur and sulphuric acid prices, supply, demand, trade and projects
- Bespoke consulting project support
Latest sulphur and sulphuric acid news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global sulphur and sulphuric acid industry.
Morocco’s sulacid imports hit three-year highs in 2024
Morocco’s sulacid imports hit three-year highs in 2024
London, 4 March (Argus) — Morocco's sulphuric acid imports reached 2.01mn t in 2024, at a three-year high, as two new sulphur burners that came on line at OCP's Jorf Lasfar hub in 2024 supported sulphuric acid intake, customs data showed. The rise in sulphuric acid imports also reflects firm demand for processed phosphate fertilizers from key end-users, which has resulted in strong demand for raw materials such as sulphuric acid. Nearly 50pc of the acid which arrived in Morocco was supplied by China and countries in the Mediterranean/Black Sea region, with the latter shipping record sulphuric acid volumes to Morocco. China shipped 424,000t of acid in 2024, largely unchanged on 2023, but nearly half the volume delivered when compared with 2021 and 2022. Italian deliveries to Morocco rose to a record high of 264,000t, compared with 19,000t in 2023, with some of the volumes understood to be secured under a long term supply contract. Bulgaria supplied 227,000t of acid in 2024, from 19,000t last year, while Turkey shipped 207,400t of acid, up from 37,000t last year. Spanish acid deliveries came to 198,000t in 2024, the highest level shipped since 2021, prior to when OCP paused sulphuric acid buying. Northwest European countries shipped around 430,000t acid in 2024, more than double the volumes delivered on the prior year. Sulphuric acid intake in 2025 is expected to decline on the year — with import estimates ranging from 1-1.1mn t — as the latest sulphur burner commissioned by OCP ramps up in capacity, thus favouring sulphur intake instead. By Lili Minton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Mosaic aims to restore fertilizer output in '25
Mosaic aims to restore fertilizer output in '25
Houston, 3 March (Argus) — North American fertilizer producer Mosaic aims to complete maintenance at its assets in early 2025 and restore potash and phosphate production in line with historical levels following several disruptions to output in 2024. The producer forecasts its potash production to rise to a range of 8.7-9.1mn metric tonnes (t) in 2025, up from 8.7mn t in 2024. The company forecast phosphate production to rise to 7.4-7.6mn t in 2025 from 6.4mn t in 2024. The increased potash production will partly stem from the company's 400,000t Hydrofloat expansion at the Esterhazy mine in Canada's Saskatchewan province that Mosaic anticipates completing later this year. Mosaic also hopes to increase production following some maintenance work at its facilities, which will bring the company's capital expenditures for 2025 in line with 2024 levels at about $1.25bn. The producer has an ongoing turnaround at its sulfuric acid unit at its Bartow, Florida, phosphate processing plant that Mosaic expects to complete later this week. All sulfuric acid plants across Florida and Louisiana are back to doing turnarounds every three years, after the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted its maintenance schedule, the company said. The New Wales, Florida, plant brought forward some work at its phosphoric acid unit to address lingering reliability issues there that reduced output in 2024. The work at New Wales should increase Mosaic's production in the back half of the year, Mosaic said. Mosaic lost 700,000t of phosphate production and 250,000t of potash production in 2024 from operational and weather-related issues at its facilities, the company said. Back-to-back hurricanes impacting Florida in October contributed to the reduction in phosphate output. Electrical issues at the Esterhazy and Colonsay mines in Saskatchewan disrupted potash production in the third quarter. The company said it has recently operated both facilities at full capacity. Separately, Mosaic plans to finish the development of its 1mn t/yr blending plant in Palmeirante, Brazil, in 2025 as well. By Calder Jett Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australia's Cobalt Blue to pause mine until prices rise
Australia's Cobalt Blue to pause mine until prices rise
Sydney, 28 February (Argus) — Australian metals firm Cobalt Blue is unlikely to further progress its Broken Hill cobalt project in New South Wales until mineral prices rise, the firm told Argus this week. Cobalt Blue in early 2024 paused work on Broken Hill's final feasibility study because of financing challenges, and launched a strategic review of the project looking at the viability of "a condensed, higher-margin project." That review is still ongoing, but it is unlikely to advance the project until cobalt market conditions improve, the company's ReMine Plus manager Helen Degeling told Argus on the sidelines of the Critical Minerals and Energy Investment Conference, which was held in Brisbane over 24-25 February. Cobalt Blue has been mining and processing ore at a demonstration plant at Broken Hill since 2022. But traditional lenders are unlikely to fund the project's next phase — a ramp up to commercial production — at current cobalt prices, Degeling said. Cobalt Blue was using a cobalt price assumption of approximately $27/kg while working on its Broken Hill definitive feasibility study. Argus ' cobalt powder min 99.8pc ex-works China price was last assessed at $22.30/kg on 20 February, down from a high of $102.40/kg on 30 March 2022. Cobalt Blue's analysts expect cobalt prices to stabilise over the coming years, as demand rises and global supply growth slows. But until that happens, the company will focus on developing its Kwinana cobalt sulphate refinery in Western Australia, and the Mount Isa sulphuric acid project in Queensland. Cobalt Blue's Kwinana refinery will start producing 3,000 t/yr of cobalt sulphate and 500 t/yr of nickel metal from the second half of 2027, using third-party mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP). The company plans to start building the plant in late 2025. Cobalt Blue's Mount Isa sulphuric acid project is at an earlier development stage than the WA refinery. The company's engineering teams have developed novel techniques to extract sulphuric acid from mineral tailings, and are currently testing potential feedstocks for the plant. Mount Isa's final capacity will depend on feedstock procurement and regional demand trends, the company said. Cobalt Blue is not the only critical mineral firm pivoting towards processing projects. Some ACMEIC attendees indicated that financing challenges are also driving vanadium developers to consider prioritising refining work. By Avinash Govind Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Abu Dhabi's Adnoc rolls over sulphur price in February
Abu Dhabi's Adnoc rolls over sulphur price in February
London, 4 February (Argus) — Abu Dhabi's state-owned Adnoc set its February official sulphur selling price (OSP) for the Indian subcontinent at $174/t fob Ruwais, stable from its January OSP. Adnoc's February OSP implies a delivered price of $190-191/t cfr India, with the freight cost for a 40,000-45,000t shipment to the east coast of India last assessed at $16-17/t on 30 January. The announced OSP fob price rose by $105/t from $69/t fob Ruwais in February 2024. By Maria Mosquera Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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