Technology
Production process of nitrogen fertilizers
Ammonia is the key intermediate for all nitrogen fertilizer products. It is a chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. Essential raw materials for the production of ammonia are ambient air and natural gas.
Haber-Bosch process
Ammonia is produced in industrial scale by combining nitrogen from air with hydrogen made from natural gas. This happens under medium temperature and high pressure and in the presence of catalysts. In our three ammonia plants in Trinidad we make use of this process, known as the Haber-Bosch process.
Ammonia production process
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Production of UAN
In our AUM complex in Trinidad we use the carbon dioxide that is also produced in the Haber-Bosch process, together with Ammonia to convert into urea solution. Urea subsequently forms the feedstock material for both UAN (urea ammonium nitrate) and melamine. In our UAN plant in Trinidad, nitric acid is first produced from ammonia and atmospheric oxygen. In a second process step, this is neutralized with ammonia producing ammonium nitrate. This is then mixed with urea solution to form UAN, one of the main products of the AUM complex. UAN is a liquid fertilizer which is characterized by a high content of nitrogen.