Innovation has always been at the forefront of MinTech’s product development process, and the new OMRI Listed® MinTerra solutions are proof that it is key to reaching new markets.
Soil management is a key part of agriculture Best Management Practices (BMPs), within which fertilizer application is vital to increasing crop yields and sustaining them at high levels. Without it, the agricultural impact could be significant.
Depending on the type, fertilizer can last for years in storage. Liquid fertilizers can last upwards of 10 years, and granular fertilizer has no finite expiration date. It isn’t just the chemical makeup of these products that affects their longevity – proper storage is key.
During the entire fertilizer manufacturing process, including storage and bagging, fertilizer faces many threats that can impact its effectiveness and shelf-life. One of the most dangerous problems is fertilizer dust. Fertilizer dust can create health risks for facility workers, increase a facility’s potential for combustion fires, and lead to compromised product. In short, without a fertilizer dust control solution in place, fertilizer dust can have substantial, long-term negative impacts for your facility. Fertilizer dust control is a guaranteed way to protect product, mitigate risk, and protect your company’s bottom line. It’s a smart and necessary investment for any facility.
In 2012, a study published in the journal Environmental Technology examined the impacts of fertilizer contamination from a phosphate plant on the east Mediterranean coast. Due to local wind conditions, fertilizer dust spread across untreated areas, leading to soil pollution and creating potential hazards for groundwater sources and plant life (Kassier, Lartiges, and Ouaini, 2012)[1]. This is just one example of what can happen when facilities fail to institute proper fertilizer dust control procedures. Not only can dust control help prevent harmful environmental effects, but it can also reduce hazards for workers and equipment.
The fertilizer industry, which grosses $139 billion annually (The Fertilizer Institute, 2015)[1], faces a lot of modern challenges, from sustainability and regulatory hurdles to general worker safety. But perhaps the industry’s biggest challenge is dust. Dust-related problems can have a detrimental impact on worker health, product effectiveness, explosion risk, and the environment. Finding a solution is critical for any fertilizer facility that wants to produce the best product and run a sound operation.
Fertilizer manufacturers ultimately want to produce the best possible product – fertilizer with high production yields, high material integrity and quality, and strong marketability. But the manufacturing process leads to other concerns and challenges. Manufacturers must also reduce explosion potential in their facilities and reduce their workers’ exposure to toxins, which means pristine facility hygiene. All of these goals can be achieved through fertilizer dust control.
As the world looks for cleaner, more eco-friendly and cost-effective ways to produce energy, the interest in using biomass as an alternative to coal and lignite has seen an increase. While using biomass pellets, particularly torrefied pellets, provides many advantages, facilities using them still face the dust, spontaneous combustion, and other handling issues associated with conventional solid fossil fuels.
MinTech chemists have conducted extensive tests to see if using our DustNot Syn product is as effective at curing the biomass pellet ails as it is the coal. Spoiler Alert: It is.
Water-only dust control systems have been used widely throughout the coal industry as a low-cost coal dust suppressant. At first glance, water seems like the natural solution to coal dust because it is safe and cheap. However, upon closer inspection, water is neither safe nor cheap. Water-only coal dust suppression systems use high volumes of water to wet coal fines and temporarily adhere them to larger coal pieces in order to prevent the fines from becoming airborne. This massive addition of water robs coal of its BTUs (heating value), causes plugging in chutes and hoppers, and creates a slippery environment. Water also offers no residual dust suppression performance. The weak bonds created by the moisture addition disappear upon drying, making the fines vulnerable to becoming airborne once again. Water-only coal dust suppression systems look attractive on paper because of their relatively low price tag and their ease of installation. However, over half of the water-only systems installed in the last 10 years are currently inoperable due to lack of maintenance or due to lack of performance.
MinTech is a full-service mineral handling solution provider specializing in process application systems, surface application programs, and specialty chemical treatments. From start to finish, our team of experts provide on-site assessments, consultation, concept and design, installation, product application, and on-going service and maintenance to custom tailor our services to exceed our customer’s expectations.
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