Compound fertilizers chemical granulation

TSP may be prepared in either granular or nongianular form. The nongranular form is preferred for use as an intermediate for production of compound fertilizer by granulation processes, whereas the granular form is preferred for direct application or for blending. The basic chemical reaction involved in production of TSP is as follows ... 

The economics of the four basic compound fertilizer production processes (bulk blending, compaction granulation, steam/water granulation, and chemical granulation) are compared in terms of (1) required fixed captal investment, (2) conversion cost (not including raw materials), and (3) production cost (conversion cost plus raw material cost). The premises and assumptions used in this evaluation and a discussion of the main economic characteristics of the processes follow. 

The estimated unit consumptions (not including raw materials) for the four compound fertilizer production processes are summarized in Table 16.9. Using these unit consumptions and typical mid-1995 U.S. costs, the conversion cost, based on a production of 120,000 tpy, including bags and bagging but not raw materials, varies from about US 26/tonne for bulk blending to about US 63/tonne for chemical granulation. In all cases fixed... 

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