FERTILIZER INDUSTRY

WHAT ARE FERTILIZERS• 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 FEEDING, FOR UPTAKE THROUGH LEAVES.

• IT IS NOW KNOWN THAT AT LEAST 16 PLANT-FOOD ELEMENTS ARE NECESSARY FOR THE

GROWTH OF GREEN PLANTS. THESE PLANT-NUTRIENTS ARE CALLED ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS. IN

THE ABSENCE OF ANY ONE OF THESE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS, A PLANT FAILS TO COMPLETE ITS

LIFE CYCLE, THOUGH THE DISORDER CAUSED CAN, HOWEVER, BE CORRECTED BY THE

ADDITION OF THAT ELEMENT. GREEN PLANTS OBTAIN CARBON FROM CARBON-DI-OXIDE

FROM THE AIR; OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN FROM WATER, WHEREAS THE REMAINING

ELEMENTS ARE TAKEN FROM THE SOIL. FERTILIZERS APPLICATION AND THE USE OF SUITABLE

FERTILIZERS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR HIGHER CROP YIELDS IN PRODUCTIVE FARMING.

NEED FOR FERTILIZERS

• INCREASING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION BY AREA INCREASING PROCESS IS NO LONGER

POSSIBLE AS CULTIVABLE LAND LEFT OVER IS ONLY MARGINAL. FURTHER A CONSIDERABLE

CULTIVABLE LAND IS BEING DIVERTED YEAR AFTER YEAR FOR INDUSTRIAL PURPOSE AND

HOUSING ETC. HENCE SELF SUFFICIENCY IN FOOD LIES IN INCREASING THE YIELD PER UNIT

AREA PER UNIT TIME THROUGH ADOPTION OF MODERN AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY.

• IT IS UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED THAT THE USE OF CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF

THE PACKAGE OF PRACTICES FOR RAISING THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION TO A HIGHER

PLACE.

• FURTHER FERTILIZERS HAVE THE ADVANTAGES OF SMALLER BULK, EASY TRANSPORT,

RELATIVELY QUICK IN AVAILABILITY OF PLANT-FOOD CONSTITUENTS AND THE FACILITY OF

THEIR APPLICATION IN PROPORTION SUITED TO THE ACTUAL REQUIREMENTS OF CROPS

AND SOILS. HENCE THERE IS NEED FOR AN EFFICIENT USE OF FERTILIZERS AS MAJOR PLANT

NUTRIENT RESOURCE IN ENHANCING THE FARM PRODUCTIVITY..

MACRONUTRIENTS AND MICRONUTRIENTS

FERTILIZERS CAN BE DIVIDED INTO MACRONUTRIENTS OR MICRONUTRIENTS.

THERE ARE THREE MACRONUTRIENTS: NITROGEN, POTASSIUM, AND

PHOSPHORUS, WHICH ARE CONSUMED IN HIGH QUANTITIES AND NORMALLY

PRESENT AS WHOLE NUMBER PERCENTAGES IN PLANT TISSUES. THERE ARE

MANY MICRONUTRIENTS, AND THEIR IMPORTANCE AND OCCURRENCE DIFFER

FROM PLANT TO PLANT. IN GENERAL, MOST PRESENT FROM 5 TO 100 PARTS

PER MILLION (PPM) BY MASS. EXAMPLES OF MICRONUTRIENTS ARE AS

FOLLOWS: BORON (B), CALCIUM (CA), COPPER (CU), MAGNESIUM (MG),

IRON (FE), MOLYBDENUM (MO), AND ZINC (ZN).

CLASSIFICATION OF FERTILIZERS

1. NATURAL FERTILIZERS

2. SYNTHETIC/COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS

1. NATURAL FERTILIZERS

THESE INCLUDE BOTH PLANT AND ANIMAL BI-PRODUCTS. THEY CONTAIN LOW QUANTITY

OF NUTRIENTS AS COMPARED TO SYNTHETIC FERTILIZERS.

2. SYNTHETIC FERTILIZERS

SYNTHESIZED MATERIALS ARE ALSO CALLED ARTIFICIAL , AND MAINLY CONTAINS THE THE

THREE PRIMARY INGREDIENTS OF NITROGEN (N), PHOSPHORUS (P) AND POTASSIUM (K),

WHICH ARE KNOWN AS N-P-K FERTILIZERS OR COMPOUND FERTILIZER. THE MASS

PERCENT NITROGEN IS REPORTED DIRECTLY. HOWEVER, PHOSPHORUS IS REPORTED AS

DIPHOSPHORUS PENTOXIDE (P2O5), AND POTASSIUM IS REPORTED AS POTASH OR

POTASSIUM OXIDE (K2O), CONSEQUENTLY, AN 18-51-20 FERTILIZER WOULD HAVE 18%

NITROGEN AS N, 51% PHOSPHORUS AS P2O5, AND 20% POTASSIUM AS K2O. IF

NITROGEN IS THE MAIN ELEMENT, THEY ARE OFTEN DESCRIBED AS NITROGEN FERTILIZERS.

NITROGEN

• NITROGEN IS VERY IMPORTANT NUTRIENT FOR PLANTS AND IT SEEMS TO HAVE

THE QUICKEST AND MOST PRONOUNCED EFFECT. IN THE CASE OF

NITROGENOUS FERTILIZERS, NITROGEN MAY BE IN THE AMMONICAL, NITRATE

(OR A COMBINATION THEREOF) OR AMIDE FORM. AMMONICAL FORM OF

NITROGEN IS CONTAINED IN FERTILIZERS LIKE AMMONIUM SULPHATE,

AMMONIUM CHLORIDE, ETC. NITRATE NITROGEN IS CONTAINED IN FERTILIZERS

LIKE AMMONIUM NITRATE, CALCIUM AMMONIUM NITRATE, ETC. THE AMIDE

NITROGEN IS CONTAINED IN UREA.

PHOSPHORUS

PHOSPHORUS IS THE SECOND FERTILIZER ELEMENT AND IT IS AN ESSENTIAL CONSTITUENT OF

EVERY LIVING CELLS AND FOR THE NUTRITION OF PLANT AND ANIMAL. IT TAKES ACTIVE PART IN ALL

TYPES OF METABOLISM OF PLANT. PHOSPHORUS PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ENERGY

TRANSFORMATIONS AND METABOLIC PROCESSES IN PLANTS.

POTASSIUM

POTASSIUM PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE MAINTENANCE OF CELLULAR

ORGANISATIONS BY REGULATING PERMEABILITY OF CELL MEMBRANES AND KEEPING THE

PROTOPLASM IN A PROPER DEGREE OF HYDRATION. IT ACTIVATES THE ENZYMES IN PROTEIN AND

CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM AND TRANSLOCATION OF CARBOHYDRATES AND IMPARTS

RESISTANCE TO PLANTS AGAINST FUNGAL AND BACTERIAL DISEASE.

UREA

UREA IS WHITE CRYSTALLINE SOLID AND MOST WIDELY USED FERTILIZER

IN THE COUNTRY.

MANUFACTURED IN PRILLED AS WELL AS GRANULAR FORM.

PRILLED AND GRANULAR FERTILIZERS ARE WHITE IN COLOR, FREE

FLOWING, READILY SOLUBLE IN WATER AND BOTH CONTAIN 46%

NITROGEN.

BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH SOLUBILITY, IT IS SUITABLE FOR SOLUTION

FERTILIZERS AND FOLIAR APPLICATION.

IT IS NOT EXPLOSIVE SO EASY TO TRANSPORT.

USES

USED AS A SOLUTION FERTILIZER AND FOLIAR APPLICATION DUE TO GOOD

SOLUBILITY.

PROTEIN FOOD SUPPLEMENT

USED IN MAKING UTENSILS IN THE FORM OF MELAMINE.

USED AS AN INGREDIENT IN TOOTH WHITENING PRODUCTS,

DISH SOAP.

USED AS A RAW MATERIAL FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PLASTICS.

MANUFACTURE OF UREA

GENERAL PROCESS INVOLVING IN UREA PRODUCTION ARE:

ONCE THROUGH PROCESS

PARTIAL RECYCLE PROCESS

TOTAL RECYCLE PROCESS

MAIN REACTIONS IN THE PRODUCTION OF UREA ARE:

2NH3+ CO2 = NH2COONH4

NH2COONH4 = NH2CONH2 + H2O

ONCE THROUGH PROCESS

THE ONCE-THROUGH PROCESS IS THE SIMPLEST OF THE THREE TYPES.

LIQUID AMMONIA AND CARBON DIOXIDE ARE SENT TO THE REACTOR. THE

CARBAMATE STRIPPERS STEAM HEAT THE EFFLUENT TO REMOVE

UNREACTED AMMONIA AND CARBON DIOXIDE, WITH THE STRIPPED

EFFLUENT CONTAINING APPROXIMATELY 80% UREA.

WHILE THIS PROCESS IS THE SIMPLEST OF THE UREA PROCESSES, IT IS TRIED

TO THE CO- PRODUCTION OF SOME OTHER MATERIAL, E.G. AMMONIUM

SULPHATE, AMMONIUM NITRATE, NITRIC ACID, FOR WHICH AMMONIA CAN

BE USED.

PARTIAL RECYCLE PROCESS

• THE PARTIAL-RECYCLE METHOD A PORTION OF THE

UNREACTED AMMONIA AND CARBON DIOXIDE PRESENT IN THE

OFF-GAS RECYCLES BACK TO AMMONIA REACTOR. RECYCLING

REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF INPUT AMMONIA REQUIRED. WITH

THIS METHOD, THE AMOUNT OF UNREACTED AMMONIA THAT IS

ABOUT 15% OF THAT GENERATED BY THE ONCE-THROUGH

PROCESS.

TOTAL RECYCLE PROCESS

IN THE TOTAL RECYCLE PROCESS, THE UNREACTED AMMONIA AND CARBON

DIOXIDE FROM THE OFF-GAS ARE RETURNED TO THE UREA REACTOR

(CONVERSION IS 99%).THE TOTAL RECYCLE PROCESS CAN BE DIVIDED INTO:

HOT GAS MIXTURE RECYCLE

STEMICARBON UREA STRIPPING PROCESS

HOT MIXTURE RECYCLE PROCESS

IN THIS PROCESS MIXTURE OF CO2 AND NH3 IS

RECYCLED BACK TO UREA REACTOR. THE

CARBAMATE IS DECOMPOSED IN ONE OR MORE

DECOMPOSERS, EACH HAVING A LOWER PRESSURE

THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE. SO PRESSURE IS REDUCED

AND ALL EVOLVED GASES MUST BE RECOMPRESSED

TO THE REACTOR PRESSURE AND THIS IS TOO

EXPENSIVE.

STEMICARBON UREA STRIPPING PROCESS

THE MOST POPULAR METHOD DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE

THE USE OF ENERGY IS BY STRIPPING WITH CO2.THE

PROCESS INVOLVES FOLLOWING STEPS:

REACTION OF NH3 AND CO2

STRIPPING WITH CO2

PARTIAL CONDENSATION OF NH3 AND CO2

RECTIFICATION COLUMN

EVAPORATING

PRILLING AND GRANULATING

AMMONIUM SULFATE

AMMONIUM NITRATE

SUPERPHOSPHATE