AMMONIUM NITRATE

Ammonium nitrate (AN) is the major straight nitric acid-based fertilizer with 34% nitrogen content. Ammonium nitrate is used as fertilizer worldwide, but is especially appropriate for the temperate zone climate and soils as it contains nitrogen in both ammonium (slow) and nitrate (quick) active forms. Thus most ammonium nitrate is traditionally iproduced and consumed in the northern hemisphere, but Latin America’s consumption and production has recently increased rapidly.

In modern fertilizers industry ammonium nitrate as a single nitrogen fertilizer is produced from ammonia and weak nitric acid (55-65% HNO3).

Ammonium nitrate synthesis is an exothermic process, but the neutralization heat is released at a low temperature level (135-180oC). As the weak nitric acid introduces a significant quantity of water in the process, the ammonium nitrate is obtained as a water solution. Hence about 300 to 400 kg water per ton AN has to be evaporated in order to obtain ammonium nitrate melt (>99% AN) which then is solidified by prilling or granulation. Despite that the major part of the water is evaporated using the reaction heat, some import MP or LP (1.0-1.6 MPa) steam is consumed in the production process. The obtained process steam and/or process condensate and also air used in the prilling or granulation processes contain some ammonia and ammonium nitrate and must be purified before being released into the environment or used in other processes at the same site. The purification processes also consume energy as heat and electricity.

The quantity and quality of the consumed energy depend on the design and basic parameters of the overall process and especially of the neutralizer and evaporator designs and also on the waste flows purification method. Safety is also the major consideration which restricts the choice of parameters and designs and is the reason of the limited energy-saving options of the AN production process. Therefore various designs and approaches are developed and used in modern ammonium nitrate plants in order to find a reasonable compromise between these contradictory requirements.

The exergy method is considered to be the most appropriate and useful tool to estimate and compare different chemical processes from a Second Law-based point-of-view. However, the exergy method is used very rarely to analyse industrial ammonium nitrate production processes and plants.

All living beings requires certain essential nutrition for its survival and growth. Plant and other vegetations are no doubt living being & thus, they also requires certain foods to grows. The fertilizer are that meterial which are added to the soil to supply nutrients for the survival & formal growth of plant. The fertilizers promote their growth fruit fully. The element that constitute these essential plant food as follows:-

1. Nitrogen,
2. Phosphorus,
3. Potassium,
4. Calcium,
5. Magnesium
6. Sulfur,
7. Iron,
8. Manganese,
9. Copper,
10. Zinc,
11. Boron,
12. Molybenum

First three among list are primary element; next there are secondary element; rest are micro nutrient.

Calcium & Magnesium maintains also the PH & I in addition to improve their nutritional valve. All these nutrients are present in soil naturally (excluding micro nutrients) but their supply is not adequate for sustained & economic cultivation.

Fertilizer are thus most important products of the chemical industry. During the decade 1978-1990 fertilizer production technology continued to advance rapidly. This is due to the increased population & need for excessive food production to fulfill their demand.

Nitrogen is the nutrient used in fertilizer in the largest amount. There are various nitrogenous compound, which are used as Ammonium Nitrate, Calciums Ammonium nitrate, Ammonium Sulfate Nitrate, Urea, Sodium nitrate etc.

Among these nitrogenous fertilizers. Ammonium Nitrate is very important for the following reasons:-

1. High analysis {35% N2} a strong economic factor in its storage;

2. Case and safety of application.

3. Safety in production & handing.

4. Care of pollution control in its manufacture.

5. Efficient production technology.

Ammonium nitrate (NH3NO3) formula weight 80.0 does not occur in nature and waw first made and disdescribed in 1654 by Gauber, who called it nitrum commons because of the difference of its yellow flame (from traces of sodium) from that of potassium nitrate. It is the most important of the ammonium compound from the stand points of volume of production and major uses is the united states and the world large tonnages are used as a nitrogens fertilizer, in military explosives and in blasting compositions.

Ammonium nitrate is the most important N2 fertilizer because of the high N2 content (35%) and the simplicity and cheapness of manufacturers. It is vital ingredients in the so called safety type explosives e.g. Dynamide and is blended with TNT to form matol. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical salt produce commercially by the reaction of ammonia and Nitric acid. Ammonium nitrate is used in dynamites used for blasting. To be more precise it acts as an explosives ingredients in bombs and dynamics. Ammonia nitrate is also used as basic fertilizers supplying nitrogen element which is the most important nutrition element needed for plant growth.

Ammonium nitrate (Explosive goods) can be manufactured easily on a commercially scale in three form eg. bilets, powder and granules. All the three forms have their relatives advantages disadvantages and can together be manufactured in one single unit.

Until the World War II the chief use of ammonium nitrate was in the explosive industry as a lowstituent of dynamite and amotole in mixture of ammonium nitrate and TNT). It is used in fertilizers was limited because of its hydroscopic properties & consequences and lending to set in large blocks.