Belarus-based Grodno Azot has placed an order with plant engineering specialists ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions for the planning and delivery of a nitric acid plant and a plant for the production of the liquid fertilizer urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) based on the Uhde process. The facilities will be integrated into the company’s existing chemical plant in the regional capital Grodno in the west of Belarus.
The new complex comprises a 1,200 t/day nitric acid plant and a UAN plant with a daily capacity of 3,395 t/day liquid urea ammonium nitrate solution with a nitrogen content of 32 percent. The order awarded to the Process Technologies business unit (Uhde) of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG comprises basic and detail engineering, the supply of equipment and material, and supervision of the installation and startup of the plant. Start-up is scheduled for 2016.
“We develop all our technologies based on the needs and requirements of people and the environment. The population is growing, land available for agricultural use is disappearing. That means that more food has to be grown for more people on an ever smaller area of land. And the processes used for this have to be eco-friendly, efficient and sustainable to protect resources for future generations. Our fertilizer technologies of been developed with this in mind,” says Dr. Hans Christoph Atzpodien, CEO of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG.
The Process Technologies business unit (Uhde) of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG has a wealth of experience and expertise in the planning and construction of fertilizer plants. Over more than 90 years Uhde has completed well in excess of 150 projects in this area and continuously adjusted its portfolio to meet the changing challenges.
The tail gas treatment unit integrated into the new plant in Grodno also meets the latest environmental protection standards. The Uhde EnviNOx® process reduces the levels of harmful nitrogen oxides in the production of nitric acid. With the help of this process, eco-toxic laughing gas (N2O) – which as a contributor to global warming is roughly 300 times more dangerous than carbon dioxide – can be almost completely removed.
For the Process Technologies business unit (Uhde) of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG, this is the second major order from Grodno Azot. Back in 2008 its Belarusian subsidiary PTC Khimvolokno placed an order with ThyssenKrupp (Uhde Inventa-Fischer) to supply a polyamide production plant. As from the beginning of this year Grodno Azot is now capable of producing 260 t/day of this versatile high-quality polymer – doubling its previous output. The material is used for example in medical technology, textiles and the food industry.
A full range of specialist engineering and construction services and a shipbuilding history stretching back centuries are the strengths of the ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions business area. High-quality engineering is at the center of our success. Global project management skills, first-class system integration expertise, reliable procurement and supplier management, and a service offering meeting the highest standards form the basis for lasting customer satisfaction. 18,500 employees at over 70 locations form a global network with a technology portfolio that guarantees maximum productivity and cost-efficiency.