Granulation and Prilling for Fertilisers – Criteria for a Choice Between Various Technologies

In this paper a number of criteria involved in the choice of a process will be dealt with consecutively. The commercial element i.e. the kind of product which is asked for by the market is a very important one. Requirements or desires, especially in the field of product size, may vary widely from region to region, and this fact should be taken into account at the selection of a process.

The shaping process can affect the quality aspects of the product, in other words, the quality-requirements can influence the kind of shaping plant which has to be built. Certain products, especially compound fertilisers, allow for some freedom in raw-material-choice. The type of raw-materials used has an influence on the design of the shaping-plant and thus on the cost of the product. It will be shown that raw-material-selection is a problem integrated with the choice of a shaping process.

Although the fertiliser industry is already existing for longer than a century, fortunately there still are developments to improve the various processes, with the aim of meeting new requirements e.g. in the field of environmental control, energy costs and international competition. These new developments will be presented. The effect of above-mentioned elements on cost price will be dealt with qualitatively, since a quantitative approach is heavily dependent on local circumstances.

R Schoemaker and A C M Smit, UKF, Utrecht, Netherlands

36 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables,.