Training and other resources relating to fertilisers and crop nutrition

This page contains information about, and links to, training courses and other resources that may be of interest. The provision of this information does not imply endorsement by the Society of these providers or resources.

The Sustainable Fertilizer Academy

Run by the International Fertilizer Association, the Sustainable Fertilizer Academy (SFA) provides a selection on online courses that provides all you need to know about sustainability in the fertiliser industry in one place. Its purpose is to provide answers to questions such as ‘What is sustainability?’, ‘How does it relate to fertilizers?’, and  ‘How can I improve my company’s performance?’ – and to help the fertiliser industry to accelerate its sustainability transformation.

The SFA includes 32 classes divided between Levels 1 and 2. Level 1 (Introductory) provides the basics of sustainability within the fertiliser industry. Level 2 (Intermediate) is more advanced and is further divided into two groups: product stewardship (sustainability within fertiliser production) and nutrient stewardship (sustainability within nutrient use and application).

Since early 2023, the SFA has now opened its virtual doors to everyone.

Fertilizer Academy

The Fertilizer Academy is an online training platform for the fertiliser industry. Its mission is to share industry experience, avoid operation mistakes and prevent process incidents.

Fertilizer Academy training courses are prepared by an independent group of senior specialists with extensive experience in the design, construction, commissioning, maintenance and operation of ammonia, urea, nitric acid and ammonium nitrate plants. It has developed its training courses based on real life experience and incidents case studies.

Fertilizer Academy training courses cover subject areas like Ammonia and Urea Plant Operation, Process Safety, Incidents and Case Studies, Corrosion and Material Selection, High Pressure Equipment, and others.

Custom made training courses for fertiliser companies are available upon request. Subtitles in various languages can be developed making the training courses available to all operators and engineers worldwide. Live streaming courses are also available upon request, with simultaneous translation in various languages.

Urea training courses by ureaknowhow.com

UreaKnowHow.com organises various Training Programs on a regular basis: These provide complete Urea Training Programs for engineers, managers, shift supervisors and operators working in any kind of urea plant.

These Training Programs can be open for all companies at a central location, organised in-house at a plant site or half-open hosted by one plant while others are invited also to join. Joint participation means that participants will learn a lot more, along with benefiting from many opportunities to discuss problems with the other participants and industry experts.

The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology, part of the University of Greenwich, London, UK

The Wolfson Centre is the leading place in the UK for training in the handling of powders, bulk solids and particulate materials. It offers a wide range of short courses designed specifically for engineers involved in the handling and /or designing of equipment for bulk solid materials, including those such as biomass.

Course content is continually developed to reflect the changes occurring in industry and the needs of the engineer. Many now offer a practical workshop in the on-site laboratories to complement the theoretical presentations and real-life case studies used.

Courses are to be offered as a mixture of online learning and face to face training.

Please note that The Wolfson Centre will offer IFS members discounted course fees. To benefit from this, inform the administrator of your IFS Membership upon registration.

FerTechInform online technical information covering aspects of fertiliser production

Developed by the IFS in collaboration with other industry bodies, this online resource comprises a detailed Knowledge Base and interactive forum, with links to additional information sources. It covers the key aspects of producing fertilisers and is free for all to use.

Sustainable Food Security: Crop Production, from Wageningen University and Research, Netherlands

This is an open online course run by Wageningen University, and is part of the XSeries on Sustainable Food Security. It will examine the principles of production ecology and the ‘availability pillar’ of global food security that lie at the heart of food production. They can be applied to both crops and animal production. This course on the basics of crop production will discuss why yields in some parts of the world are lagging behind and identify the agro-ecological drivers that shape the wide diversity of production systems.

Furthermore, key issues relating to closing of yield gaps and how these link to different visions of sustainability will be explored.

This online course will be of great interest to international students and those with varied educational backgrounds, both professionally and culturally, to enrich their views and action perspectives related to global food security and food systems.

It takes up 6-8 hours over 6 weeks.

The library of the Ammonium Nitrate / Nitric Acid Producers Study Group (ANNA) 

ANNA is an informal international organisation of manufacturers of Ammonium Nitrate and Nitric Acid with the goal of promoting networking within the industry.
 
The ANNA group has a rich history of bringing know-how, technology and experience together to address the current issues and concerns of the industry. This allows the ANNA to seek the best practices, innovations and practical solutions to promote the success of the industry as a whole.
 
The library section containing past conference presentations is for conference attendees only.  To access the downloads, your company must produce either ammonium nitrate or nitric acid and have attended a conference in the last 5 years.
 

Ammonia Safety Symposium proceedings (AIChE – American Institute of Chemical Engineers)

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers  has partnered with Omnipress—using their EasyPrint™ on-demand print services— to print and ship their 2021 and 2022 Safety in Ammonia Plants & Related Facilities Symposiums.

Orders placed on this website are sent directly to Omnipress, who will print and send requested items directly to you on AIChE’s behalf.  

Toolbox, by the Energy Institute

Not specific to fertiliser production, but good general industrial safety training materials.

European Process Safety Center Learning Sheets

The EPSC Learning Sheets are meant to stimulate discussion on important process safety topics at operational sites, to improve competency and awareness in a pleasant format. They capture and convey shared learnings from the process safety industry. The Sheets are available in various different languages. 

Copper Development Association

The CDA provides technical literature, along with the option to submit questions where a technical expert will direct you to the right information. This may be helpful in relation to the use of catalysts in fertiliser production.