feature UREA PRODUCTION

Zero
waste urea
production
by Harold van der Zande, Business Development Manager, Stamicarbon

In most industrial production The urea production technology layout the air circulated in the granulation
processes and thus also in fertilizer (figure 1) basically consists of the plant,
production processes in general following essential elements: • Waste water treatment section, which
there are side products which cannot cleans the effluent from the urea melt
be further processed. Examples • Urea melt plant,
plant.
of such side streams are products • Urea granulation (or prilling) plant,
that are out of specification, • MicroMist Venturi scrubber, The target of the different sections
intermediates and by-products, all which removes both the gaseous is to reduce the emissions to air and
of which normally end up as waste. (ammonia) emissions from the urea water to such low levels, that the
These waste streams are either melt plant, as well as the particulate required environmental emission
dumped in landfills, incinerated, or matter emissions (urea dust) from levels are met. In specific cases, even
otherwise wasted, putting a burden
on the environment and resulting
in a negative economic impact for Figure 1. General layout of the Stamicarbon urea plant
fertilizer producers.

Stamicarbon’s
sustainable solution
Over the past 70 years, Maire
Tecnimont Group’s innovation and
license company, Stamicarbon, has
been developing its own proprietary
urea technology. The set-up it has
today guarantees that nearly all
emissions from the individual process
steps can be converted to valuable
feedstocks. They are all returned
to the production process to avoid
waste streams and/or by-products
and therefore this urea technology
can be considered a zero waste
production technology. In addition,
the technology has the capability to
upgrade possible return streams into
premium end-products.

Fertilizer FOCUS
 UREA PRODUCTION

feature
the remaining small emissions can
be further treated with incineration
The target is to reduce emissions
or flaring to zero emission levels, to air and water
such that we even can speak of zero
emission production.
Obviously, this is at the cost of
increased NOx and CO2 emissions. of a high degree of submicron dust Orifice Conditioning (DOI) trays
In the framework of this article, the requires a new capture approach, and can optionally be installed to further
specific details of such a layout will not to efficiently remove ammonia, an acid condition the gas stream. Multiple
be further elaborated, because this has solution needs to be injected. This parallel venturi tubes are installed
already been addressed in a separate newly introduced scrubber technology vertically on a diaphragm in the vessel.
article by Stamicarbon. is successfully implemented and
The diaphragm forces the gas flow to
The emissions of the urea melt and proven in other industrial applications,
accelerate through the tubes (figure
granulation plant are converted to but is completely new for the urea
3). Each venturi tube includes a
feedstocks which can be reprocessed industry. The MMV scrubber contains
converging conical section (the inlet)
in the urea melt or granulation five stages that progressively treat and
where the gas is accelerated to throat
plant, in order to obtain zero waste clean the off-gas (figure 2). With this
velocity, a cylindrical throat, and the
production. Each individual unit technology, emissions of less than 10 diffuser outlets of the MMV tubes are
below is needed to obtain a zero-waste mg/Nm3 for dust and 20 mg/Nm3 for aerodynamically designed to reduce
production layout. ammonia can be achieved. the overall pressure drop by slowing
At the first stage, the exhaust gas is down the gas and recovering the
cooled down, saturated and most of energy. In the tubes, gases interact
MicroMist Venturi the coarse particulate urea dust is with the particulates and droplets
scrubber collected from the gas stream. At this twice (acceleration and deceleration).
The MicroMist Venturi (MMV) point in the process the concentrated Downstream the MMV stage, the
scrubber is a multi-stage process for urea solution is purged and available ammonia acidic scrubbing takes
the effective and efficient scrubbing of for further (re)processing. The place. The DOI tray is flooded from
urea particulate matter and ammonia concentrated urea solution is typically above with acidified water and the
gaseous residues from the urea melt between 35 and 45 wt-% urea, and acid flow rate is controlled by a pH
and the granulation plant to meet can be fed to the urea melt plant. measurement. Typically, sulphuric
the more stringent particulate matter Downstream of the first quench zone, acid or nitric acid are used to
emission regulations. During the a secondary quench is used. In this neutralize ammonia, forming an
granulation process, submicron dust is second quench, a dilute solution ammonium salt. Depending on the
generated which is mainly responsible of urea is used to further cool and type of acid used, ammonium sulphate
for the higher emission values. While humidify the gas flow. This process is or ammonium nitrate salts are formed.
older technology scrubbers easily a very important step to assure that They can be fed as a feedstock to
scrub larger particles, the presence remaining submicron particulate the granulation plant in case of
is exposed to saturated gas, where ammonium sulphate to produce urea
particles can substantially grow in with traces of sulphur. Alternatively,
size through condensation. Inside they can be used in a secondary
Figure 2. MMV Scrubber stages layout the scrubber vessel several Dual- process such as a UAN plant in case of
ammonium nitrate, or being supplied
1. Quenching
to other processes, depending on
2. Sub cooling
3. Atomization the specific process layout chosen.
4. Collection By further addition of ammonium
element sulphate in the granulation plant,
5. Separation urea ammonium sulphate (UAS)
compounds are made, satisfying the
growing need for sulphur, which has
meanwhile become the fourth macro
nutrient.
Remaining suspended water droplets
are removed from the gas stream in
the mist eliminator before the gases
leave the scrubber. Fresh (clean) water
is continuously sprayed on the mist
eliminator to catch and wash away
Figure 3. MicroMist Venturi
dirty particles. For prilling plants a
similar scrubber is available.

Fertilizer FOCUS
feature UREA PRODUCTION

Figure 4. Stamicarbon's waste water treatment section

An optional Wet ElectroStatic the hydrolyser, which is a liquid-filled the production of DEF (Diesel Exhaust
Precipitator (WESP) can be integrated column. In the hydrolyser the urea, at Fluid), depending on the plant
on top of the MMV scrubber to further elevated pressure and temperature, configuration.
reduce overall emissions. is dissociated into ammonia and
Due to the optimal layout of
carbon dioxide by the application
process components, not only
of heat (steam) and retention time.
the required emission levels are
Waste water treatment The process condensate feed is kept
achieved, but effectively also
in counter-current contact with the a zero-waste urea production
In the waste water treatment section
steam in order to obtain extremely process has been developed. This
liquid effluents from the granulation
low urea content in the hydrolyzer satisfies not only legislative bodies
and urea melt plants are treated
effluent. The remaining ammonia and in providing an optimal solution
(figure 4). The process condensate
carbon dioxide in the effluent of the towards environmental emissions,
coming from the evaporation section,
hydrolyzer are stripped off with steam but also meets both economic
together with other process effluents
at a reduced pressure in the bottom and environmental challenges.
such as sealing water from stuffing
part of the desorber. The off-gases Prevention of waste generation leads
boxes, contain ammonia and urea.
leaving the top part of the desorber to high efficiency, as all feedstock is
All of the process condensates are
are recycled to the synthesis section transformed into final product, and
collected in the ammonia water tank.
after being condensed in the reflux avoids the burden of waste disposal.
From this tank, the waste water is fed
condenser. This has both a cost component,
to the top part of the desorber. In the
top part of the desorber, the bulk of The purity of the remaining water but also leads to pressure on the
the ammonia and carbon dioxide are environment. Stamicarbon’s urea
satisfies requirements for usage
stripped off from the water phase by technology leads to a truly sustainable,
as boiler feed water or cooling
zero waste production process,
using the off-gas from the bottom part water make-up, which means that
meeting the challenges of today and
of the desorber as a stripping agent. Stamicarbon urea plants do not
tomorrow.
The descending effluent still contains produce any waste-water stream. In
urea and some ammonia. To remove addition, the water is reused in the Note: MicroMist™ is a registered
the urea, this effluent is then fed to granulation plant, or can be used for trademark

Fertilizer FOCUS