American Ag Network
In a recent interview, Itafos CEO David Delaney reiterated the structural problems tightening the phosphate fertilizer market – the core problem isn’t phosphate rock — it’s sulfur, the input needed to make the sulfuric acid that acidulates phosphate rock into usable fertilizer. Roughly 45% of globally traded sulfur, a byproduct of oil production, is currently stuck behind the Strait of Hormuz. That’s pushed delivered sulfur prices to between $1,000 and $1,200 a ton, a level he said makes phosphate production largely uneconomic. “We are in a crisis, no doubt about it.” To address the crisis, global phosphate producers seeking to bring price stability to the market are working with Travertine to provide a circular process that recycles sulfur waste into sulfuric acid for phosphates production.
