Ammonium phosphates production capacity

The United States continues as the world s largest producer of phosphate fertilizers and expanded ammonium phosphate production capacity by 87% between 1975 and 1995 (Figure 3.14). However, maturity of the domestic market has forced U.S. phosphate producers to become more dependent on exports. In 1995, the United States exported more than 10.5 million tonnes of ammonium phosphate these exports accounted for about 63% of the U.S. production of ammonium phosphate. 

World ammonia capacity increased by nearly 14% from 1984 to 1996 while capacity for urea, the primary downstream nitrogen product, increased by 45%. The increases were due primarily to 1) a desire by some major importing countries to become more self-sufficient and 2) the construction of export-oriented capacity in the Middle East and in the former Soviet Union (prior to its breakup). Ammonium phosphate capacity increased by 9% between 1984 and 1996. Ammonium nitrate capacity declined by 2% from 1984 to 1996 while ammonium sulfate capacity declined by 8%35. 

In the future, developing nations are expected to continue to account for most of the increases in ammonia and urea capacity. Ammonia capacity is expected to increase by about 20 million tonnes and urea capacity by about 12 million tonnes of nitrogen between 1996 and 2002. The availability of relatively low-cost feedstock (usually natural gas) will be a major determinant as to where this new capacity is installed. Ammonium nitrate and ammonium phosphate capacity are also expected to rise35. The following tables summarize anticipated world capacity for nitrogen products by year (Table 3.1) and by major regions or countries (Table 3.2)148. 

In 4Q02 ammonium phosphate capacity in the United States was 9,705,000 tons per year of DAP and MAP. Approximately 70% of the product is DAP. Demand is summarized in the following table239 ... 

The production of triple superpho.sphate with a P2O5-content greater than 40% and biologically more available phosphorus reached a peak in 1984 and has declined 30% since then. The worldwide capacity for triple superphosphate is considerably underutilized. Part of the spare capacity can be utilized for the manufacture of ammonium phosphate. The world production by region in 1990 is given in Table 2.5-5. 

The production of fertilizers derived from phosphoric acid has increased significantly in the last 50 years because, among other things, these are high-analysis products, thanks to the removal of calcium as byproduct calcium sulfate in phosphoric acid production. Moreover, technical breakthroughs in the field of phosphoric acid and ammonium phosphate manufacture, plus economies of scale, have resulted in high capacity world size" plants, which produce a limited range of products at very competitive prices. 

The first patent on ammonia oxidation wras issued to Khulman in 1839 in this case platinum was used as a catalyst to oxidize ammonia with air. The ammonia-oxidation method using a platinum catalyst qn a commercial scale, developed by Oswald and Brauer and first operated in Germany about 1908, is at present the principal industrial method of nitric acid producticxi. The main use for nitric acid is in fertiDzer production, mainly for ammonium nitrate as such or in compound fertilizers, nitrogen solutions, or mixed salts. About 75% of total nitric acid production is consumed for nitrate fertilizers, mainly as 509 5% concentration acid. Smaller fertilizer uses are for calcium and potassium nitrates. A primary use is in addulation of phosphate rock for production of nitrophosphates. Plant capacities for weak nitric acid i Bed for fertilizer production are in the range of 35 to 1,380 tpd althoi h capacities of 2,000 tpd have been designed. 

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