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