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421
422 Mixed Fertilizer Plants
Dust is the primary air pollutant from potash plants. Good housekeeping practices are
manufacturing. essential to minimize the amount of spilled
material. Spills or leaks of both solids and
Liquid Effluents liquids should be returned to the process.
Liquid effluents, if any, need to be controlled for
The volumes of liquid effluents from mixed total suspended solids, fluorides, phosphorous,
fertilizer plants are reported to range 1.4 -50 and ammonia.
cubic meters per metric ton of product (m3/t) Modern plants using good industrial
product. Where water is used in scrubbers, the practices are able to achieve the following in
scrubbing liquors can usually be returned to the terms of pollutant loads:
process. Effluents can contain nitrogen,
phosphorous, and fluorine and concentrations Air Emissions
can range 0.7-15.7 kg/t product (as N), 0.1-7.8
kg/t product (as P2O5), and 0.1-3.2 kg/t product The following emissions values have been
(as P2O5). reported for the manufacture of NPK fertilizers
by the nitrophosphate route and should be
Solid Wastes attained in a well operated plant:
An effluent discharge of less than 1.5 m3/t For mixed fertilizer plants, the following
product as P2O5 is realistic however by using emissions levels should be achieved:
holding ponds a discharge approaching zero
may be feasible. Pollutant loads in effluents are Air Emissions from Mixed Fertilizer Plants
reported as follows for NPK fertilizers by the Parameter Maximum value
nitrophosphate route: milligrams per
normal cubic
meter (mg/Nm3)
Particulate matter (PM) 50
Parameter Loading1
Ammonia (NH3 as N) 50
P2O5 0.06 kg/t NPK Fluorides (as F) 5
produced
Nitrogen oxides (as 500
NH4-N 0.012 kg/t NPK NO2)1 70
produced 1 Higher value is for nitrophosphate unit; lower value
Nitrate nitrogen (NO3- 0.03 kg/t NPK is for mixed acid unit
N) produced
Liquid Effluents
Fluoride (F) 0.05 kg/t NPK
produced For mixed fertilizer plants, the following
effluent levels should be achieved:
Emission Guidelines
Effluents from Mixed Fertilizer Plants
Emission levels for the design and operation of Parameter Maximum value
each project must be established through the millirams per
Environmental Assessment (EA) process, based liter (mg/L)
on country legislation and the Pollution pH 6-9
Prevention and Abatement Handbook as applied to Total suspended 50
local conditions. The emission levels selected solids
must be justified in the EA and acceptable to
MIGA. Fluorides (F) 20
The following guidelines present emission Total metals 10
levels normally acceptable to the World Bank Cadmium 0.1
Group in making decisions regarding provision Phosphorous (as P) 5
of World Bank Group assistance, including
Ammonia (NH4-N)) 10
MIGA guarantees; any deviations from these
levels must be described in the project
documentation. Note: Effluent requirements are for direct
The guidelines are expressed as discharge to surface waters.
concentrations to facilitate monitoring. Dilution
of air emissions or effluents to achieve these Note: Waste water treatment discharges are
guidelines is unacceptable. sometimes used for agricultural purposes and
All of the maximum levels should be may contain heavy metals. Of particular
achieved for at least 95% of the time that the concern is the cadmium content.
plant or unit is operating, to be calculated as a
proportion of annual operating hours. Ambient Noise
increase in background levels of 3 dB(A). • Maximize product recovery and minimize air
Measurements are to be taken at noise receptors emissions by appropriate maintenance and
located outside the project property boundary. operation of scrubbers and baghouses.