Chem Eng

The Agriculture Bull Keeps Getting Stronger

Oil is not a principal ingredient in fertilizer. I should know, I have been making it for 12 years, here is how DAP/MAP is produced.

1)
First, you have to make sulfuric acid as an intermedeary. The raw materials needed is "sulfur" air, and water. Air and water are free. The sulfur is burned to for a gas and the entire process is a gas phase reaction, until the last unit where water is added and the H2SO4 is produced. Sulfuric plants generate large quantites of 'waste heat' which are capture in boilers, super heters and turned into steam. The steam turns a generator, we make power for the plant, and we send it to the mines to operate the large mining equipment. We make more power than requred and sell the difference to the power company.

2.
The sufluric acid is mixed with phosphate ore to for "phosphoric acid". The acid is refined, strengthened, and sent to the "fertilizer plant".

3)
Phosphoric acid is mixed with ammonia (NH3) and MAP/DAP is formed depneding on the Ph. These are process until the desired size is reached and then shippe to the warehouse.

The entire process ony has 2 raw materials, 1: phosphate ore 2: sulrur.
Electricity is free form the waste heat generated form the sulfuric plants.

Since the company owns the mine, the price for ore is extraction costs only.

A typical "fertilizer plant" has 3 sulfuric acid plants, 2 phosphoric acid plants, and 2 granular fertilzer plants.