Why Sulfine? What does Sulfine do? Ensure the continuity of Prayon s Engis site Greatly reduce the site s ecological footprint

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2 Why Sulfine? What does Sulfine do? Sulfine is a new sulphuric acid production facility with steam and electricity cogeneration. It was built to: Ensure the continuity of Prayon s Engis site Greatly reduce the site s ecological footprint Each year, Prayon consumes more than 425,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid, which it uses to produce basic phosphoric acid. Before investing in Sulfine, Prayon had a unit that produced 170,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid a year. This new facility gives Prayon additional annual capacity of 345,000 tonnes (1,000 tonnes a day). Thanks to this new unit, Prayon is less dependent on suppliers and the ever-changing conditions in the market. Besides this, the company makes extremely pure sulphuric acid, which can be used to produce top-quality phosphates. Finally, the energy cogenerated during the production process is converted to supply the other units on the site. Total: 515,000 T/year Before: 170,000 T/year Sulfine: 345,000 T/year

3 What are phosphates used for? The general public is not usually familiar with our products, which are mainly used as raw materials for the manufacture of end products used in everyday life. Phosphates and derived products have a wide range of applications in the food sector (processed cheese, ham, baked goods, etc.) and in industry (from detergents and water and metal treatment to ceramics, porcelain, plaster and much more). NATURAL PHOSPHATES + SULPHURIC ACID PLASTER PHOSPHORIC ACID FERTILISERS PURIFIED PHOSPHORIC ACID WATER DETERGENTS METALS SOFT DRINKS, ETC WATER TREATMENT, METAL TREATMENT, FERTIRRIGATION, LITHIUM ION BATTERIES PHOSPHATE SALTS FOOD ADDITIVES Meat, delicatessen products, fish, baked goods, processed cheese, etc

4 How is sulphuric acid produced? The production process for sulphuric acid is made up of three main stages: Diagram of sulphuric acid production Steam Stage 1: combustion Stage 2: conversion S + O 2 -> SO 2 + energy Sulphur + Oxygen -> Sulphur dioxide + heat SO 2 + ½ O 2 -> SO 3 + energy Sulphur dioxide + oxygen -> Sulphur trioxide + heat 3. Absorption Electricity Liquid sulphur is injected into the combustion furnace. When it comes into contact with the air, it burns spontaneously and forms SO 2, emitting a lot of heat at the same time. The thermal energy is recovered in a highpressure boiler and converted into steam. The steam is then passed into a turbine, where it is used to generate electricity. Some of the steam is used to supply the Engis site s steam network.. The sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) goes into the five-floor catalyst tower with the rest of the oxygen and is converted into sulphur trioxide (SO 3 ). The heat released during this reaction is transferred to the steam supplying the turbine. Air 2. Conversion SO 2 + 1/2 O 2 -> SO 3 SO 3 + H 2 O -> H 2 Steam Stage 3: absorption SO 3 + H 2 O > H 2 + energy Sulphur trioxide + water -> Sulphuric acid + heat Sulphur 1. Combustion S + O 2 -> SO 2 Sulphuric acid Acid In the absorption tower, the sulphur trioxide reacts with water to make sulphuric acid. The heat released during this reaction is converted into steam, which is used directly to supply other facilities at the Engis site.

5 Why cogeneration? What is the environmental impact? Thanks to the cogeneration system, steam and electricity can be generated from the sulphuric acid production process. Prayon makes some 1,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid each day and so has been able to substantially reduce the amount of electricity needed for the whole site and the amount of natural gas needed for steam production. Steam production The steam generated during sulphuric acid production is recovered and used as an energy source. Sulfine generates 240,000 tonnes of steam a year, covering 35% of the Engis site s steam needs. This is in addition to the 35% produced by the older unit, meaning that steam production linked to sulphuric acid totals 480,000 tonnes, or 70% of the steam needed by the site, allowing natural gas purchases to be significantly reduced and fuel oil purchases to be stopped altogether. Electricity generation Sulfine s steam turbine produces 66,000 of the 96,OOO MWh consumed by the Engis site each year that is, it covers 70% of the site s electricity needs. The new facility enables Prayon to favour steam production at some times and electricity generation at others, depending on its needs and the cost of each of these utilities Sulfine has a positive impact on CO 2 emissions because most of the steam used for the site s activities now comes from sulphur (which does not cause CO 2 emissions) instead of natural gas and fuel oil, the latter of which the site has now stopped using altogether. This new facility has enabled Prayon to cut total CO 2 emissions for the Engis site by 43%, anticipating the efforts that will have to be made due to the European revision of the targets set by the Kyoto Protocol. Thanks to Sulfine, Prayon will achieve and even improve on most of its targets for greenhouse gas (CO 2 ) emission reduction, which were set by the Walloon Region with the conclusion of the Chemicals Sector Branch Agreement. Lower emissions at the Engis site: CO 2-43% SO 2-13 % NO x - 28 %.

6 What is the sulphuric acid used for? A significant share of the sulphuric acid produced is used to cover Prayon s own needs. After all, sulphuric acid is one of the two main raw materials required for producing basic phosphoric acid (2.5 tonnes of sulphuric acid are needed to make 1 tonne of phosphoric acid). Old plant Contracted purchases Other purchases Sulfine Sources of H 2 (kt/year) before Sulfine Uses of H 2 (kt/year) before Sulfine Sales Consumption by PRAYON Since Prayon s sulphuric acid needs are now more than met, a greater share of its sulphuric acid can be sold on the market. Sales have now increased from 55,000 tonnes a year in 2006 to 190,000 tonnes. At the same time, the logistical flow of sales and purchases has been reduced by 20%. Sources of H 2 (kt/year) after Sulfine Uses of H 2 (kt/year) after Sulfine

7 Where is Sulfine? Sulfine was built next to the older sulphuric acid facility. This way, only one control room is needed and management of the units is optimised. A few key figures Jobs Around 15 direct jobs were created. Investment budget Prayon invested 50 million in building Sulfine. This investment is expected to pay for itself in around 4 years. Sulfine Investment aids The Walloon Region granted Prayon two different types of investment aid for this ambitious project: - Conventional company investment aids (linked to job creation): 1,500,000 - Energy and environmental subsidies: 1,914,200 Timing Work began: June 2007 Plant commissioned: October 2009

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9 Press contact Dominique Maréchal Rue J. Wauters 144 B-4480 Engis Tel.: GSM : Fax : dmarechal@prayon.be