Grupa Azoty S.A. (Tarnów, Poland; www.grupaazoty.com) signed a contract with thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG (Essen, Germany; www.thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions.com) for a license for a nitric-acid production technology, including the delivery of process documentation and key equipment, and for the supervision over plant installation and start-up.
The construction of the new nitric-acid production unit is a key element of Grupa Azoty Puławy’s project to further develop fertilizer production, which also covers the construction of new neutralization and fertilizer production units. In addition, the existing four nitric-acid production lines will be modernized, which will increase the production capacity and improve the consumption rates of the main production feedstocks and energy carriers. The unit’s environmental impact will be substantially reduced. The total value of the project is PLN 695 million (approximately $179 million).
In addition to significantly enhancing the nitric acid production scale and efficiency, the project will largely contribute to improving the efficiency of nitric-acid-based fertilizer production. A part of the output of the new (fifth) nitric acid unit will be processed on a new line for the production of specialty liquid and solid fertilizers: magnesium nitrate, calcium nitrate and potassium nitrate, with a target capacity of 600 metric tons (m.t.) per day.
‘We plan to invest more than PLN 1billion in the nitrate fertilizers area by 2021. In addition to the new nitric acid unit, we will also build two nitrate mechanical granulation lines. These investments will allow us to market new products, awaited by farmers. In the next four years, Grupa Azoty Puławy will expand its product range by six new fertilizers,’ adds Andrzej Skwarek, member of the Management Board of Grupa Azoty Puławy.
The new fertilizers will serve as the base for blended fertilizers manufactured at the Dobre Miasto plant based on fertilizers produced in other Grupa Azoty Group’s plants. „The technology we have purchased for the new nitric acid line at Grupa Azoty Puławy is a modern and proven solution that meets the highest environmental requirements,’ said Richard Saure, Head of Operating Unit Nitrates and Phosphates at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG.