CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

FERTILIZER INDUSTRY
By

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 Effluents types Major Wastes Characteristics of
Production plant waste generated
Phosphate based Phosphoric effluents -Carbonic acids -low pH
fertilizer plant -hydrofluric acids -high in phosphate
-high in suspended
solids

Nitrogen based Ammonia effluents -urea -high in ammonia

fertilizer plant -oils -high in sodium
-ammonia hydroxide or
-arsenic carbonate
-fluoride
-phosphate
 General Waste produce during fertilizer production
Physicochemical treatment
Waste Sources Formation process
process

Ammonia Haber process Haber process - Air or steam Stripping process

Durıng mixing the sulfuric

Phosphate and fluoride Mechanıcal reactor acid and the rock in a reactor -Chemical precipitation

-Compressor houses of ammonia and -waste water from scrubbing

Oils urea plants tower - Flotatıon and Coagulatıon
-some portion of cooling water -purification of gases

Washed water from scrubbing -Adsorption process (actıvated

Arsenic Washed water from scrubbing tower.
tower. carbon)

Boiler feed of the waste water treatment During regeneration of cation and
Acidic and Alkaline wastes -Neutralization
plant. anion exchanger units.

Extraction of ammonia from

Phenol and Cyanide Coke ovens -Chemical precipitation
ammonia cal liquor

During removal of phosphorus by

Radionuclides or phosphogypsum (mostly
Phosphate rock dissolving the rock in an acidic -Ion exchange
uranium and radium)
solution.

Ammonia sulphate and Ammonia through reaction of ammonia with During intermediate chemical
-Air or steam Stripping
phosphate sulfuric acid. processing
 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.