CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

FERTILIZER INDUSTRYBy

Elegbeleye Oladipo Ayodamope

Outline

• Introduction

• Overview of a Fertilizer Industry

• Fertilizer production process

• Waste produce during Fertilizer Production.

• Waste Treatment from Fertilizer Industry

• Pollution Impacts of Fertilizer Industry

• Conclusion

• References

Introduction

• Fertilizers are compounds given to plants with the intention of promoting growth; they are usually applied either via the soil, for uptake by plant roots, or by foliar spraying, for uptake through leaves.

• Fertilizers can be organic (composed of organic matter, i.e. carbon based), or inorganic (containing simple, inorganic chemicals) or in another way, Fertilizer is a chemical or natural substance added to soil or land to increase its fertility.

Introduction cont’d• Fertilizer can be categorized into two different

groups. These are: Organic fertilizer and Inorganic fertilizer.

• Organic fertilizers are fertilizers derived from animal matter, human excreta or vegetable matter. (e.g. compost, manure). Naturally occurring organic fertilizers include animal wastes from meat processing, peat, manure, slurry, and guano.

• Inorganic fertilizers, also known as mineral or commercial fertilizer, is fertilizer mined from mineral deposits or manufactured from synthetic compounds.

Overview of a Fertilizer Industry• The fertilizer Industry is a highly capital and energy

intensive industry, in India for E.g., it has a total installed capacity of 18 MTPA (millions tonnes per annum) for N & P fertilizer nutrients while their consumption is 28 MTPA.

• The nutrients are processed into formation of the fertilizer products like urea, DAP etc., which is consumed at 57 MTPA against a production capacity of 42 MPTA.

• As the world population continue to grow & demand for agricultural products rises, fertilizer demand will continue to increase over the long term, which is positive for fertilizer producers and also can be detrimental to the environment if the waste products from the incessant production of fertilizer are not managed or controlled.

Organic fertilizer Production process

Composting Process

Manufacturing Process for Organic Compound Fertilizer Made from Composted Livestock Manure

Inorganic fertilizer Production process

Inorganic fertilizer Production process

Pollution Impact of Fertilizer Industry

Extensıve used of all form of fertılızer could have a negatıve ımpact on humans and the envıronment. Fertılızers often lead to problems such as

• Nıtrogen saturatıon

• Ground water pollutıon

• Soıl acıdıfıcatıon

• Fertilizer effluents cause eutrophication due to algal bloom.

• Enrich the fluoride content of receiving waters causing dental skeletal fluorosis to human.

• Presence of Cr, CN-, NH3 are harmful to aquatic life.

• Abnormal calcification of bones in animals.

Waste produce during fertilizer production• A variety of wastes are produced and discharged from different

types of Fertilizer production plant as pollutants in different forms:

Types of Fertilizer Production plant

Effluents types Major Wastes Characteristics of waste generated

Phosphate based fertilizer plant

Phosphoric effluents -Carbonic acids-hydrofluric acids

-low pH-high in phosphate-high in suspended solids

Nitrogen based fertilizer plant

Ammonia effluents -urea-oils-ammonia-arsenic-fluoride-phosphate

-high in ammonia-high in sodium hydroxide or carbonate

General Waste produce during fertilizer productionWaste Sources Formation process Physicochemical treatment

process

Ammonia Haber process Haber process - Air or steam Stripping process

Phosphate and fluoride Mechanıcal reactorDurıng mixing the sulfuricacid and the rock in a reactor -Chemical precipitation

Oils-Compressor houses of ammonia and urea plants-some portion of cooling water

-waste water from scrubbing tower-purification of gases

- Flotatıon and Coagulatıon

Arsenic Washed water from scrubbing tower.Washed water from scrubbing tower.

-Adsorption process (actıvated carbon)

Acidic and Alkaline wastes Boiler feed of the waste water treatment plant.

During regeneration of cation and anion exchanger units.

-Neutralization

Phenol and Cyanide Coke ovens Extraction of ammonia from ammonia cal liquor -Chemical precipitation

Radionuclides or phosphogypsum (mostly uranium and radium)

Phosphate rockDuring removal of phosphorus by dissolving the rock in an acidic solution.

-Ion exchange

Ammonia sulphate and Ammonia phosphate

through reaction of ammonia with sulfuric acid.

During intermediate chemical processing -Air or steam Stripping

Average characteristics of the waste water from a typical fertilizer plant

Parameter Value

pH 7.5to 9.5

Total solids, mg/l 5400 mg/l

Ammonia Nitrogen 700 mg/l

Urea Nitrogen 600 mg/l

Phosphate 75 mg/l

Arsenic 1.5 mg/l

Fluoride 15 mg/l  

International Standards and Parameters

Conclusions

• Among the three macro (N-P-K) fertilizers being used today, only potassium fertilizer is not yet considered a source of environmental pollution. The other substances like nitrogen (urea or calcium ammonium nitrate) and phosphorus fertilizers if not properly treated, can cause environmental pollution.

References• Gunjal, K. R., Roberts, R. K., Heady, E. O. (1980). "Fertilizer Demand Functions for Five Crops

in The United States." Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics.

• Hawkes, H. S.; Davies, L. J., (1971). Some effect of organic enrichment on benthic invertebrates communities in stream riffles. In: Scientific management of animals and conservation. Duffy, E. and A.S. Watts (Eds). British Ecology Society. University of East Anglia.

• Imevbore, A. M. A., (1983). The investigation of faecal pollution in the surface water of the Niger Delta of Nigeria.Final report on Vol. 3 Ed. Niger Delta Basin Development.

• Kiff, R., (1987). Water pollution control in the fertilizer manufacturing industry. In: Surveys in industrial waste water treatment Vol. 3. Manufacturing and chemical industries Ed., D. Barnes, G.F. Foster and S.E. Hrubey Longman Scientific and Technical, New York.

• Roberts, R. K., Heady, E. O. (1982). "Fertilizer Demand Functions for Specific Nutrients Applied to Three Major U.S. Crops." Western Journal of Agricultural Economics.

• Rosas, F. (2012). “Fertilizer Use by Crop at the Country Level (1990-2010).” Working Paper 12-WP 535, Iowa State University, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Ames, Iowa. http://www.card.iastate.edu/publications/synopsis.aspx?id=1178.