Chapter 6: Fertilizer Formulation, Storage, and handling

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Chapter 6 Fertilizer Formulation, Storage, and
handling

• Three systems available
• Bulk Blend or Prescription mix nutrients.
• Direct application of homogeneous product.
• Fluid fertilizer (from clear liquid solutions to
  suspensions

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Bulk Blend or Prescription mix nutrients

• May use homogeneous products as part of the
  blend, along with other granular, prilled, or
  crystalline fertilizer materials to meet desired
  nutrient requirements.
• Should use uniformly sized products to minimize
  segregation in storage handling.

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Direct application of homogeneous product.

• Benefit is that each pellet has the same chemical
  make up.
• Can be in bulk form or ordered in bagged form.

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Fluid fertilizer

• Its main benefits are the ease of handling,
  uniform composition, and compatibility with crop
  protection chemicals.
• Suspension can have a twice the nutrient content
  than clear.
• Large amounts of secondary nutrients and
  micronutrients can be used in suspensions.

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Formulations

• Bulk/Bagged Blends
• Are physical mixes of two or more dry products.
• Examples of products used are ammonium nitrate,
  ammonium sulfate, urea, diammonium phosphate,
  monoammonium phosphate, potassium materials, and
  elemental sulfur.

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Bulk/Bagged Blends Problems

• Segregation or separation of one component or raw
  material from another.
• Segregation may happen when storing finished
  products in cone shape piles or when loading in a
  truck or trailor.

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Homogeneous product problems

• One problem is that specific grades are not
  produced to meet every soil or plant condition.

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Fluid fertilizer problems (Clear)

• Although high N-P grades can be produced, the
  addition of other fertilizer material raises the
  salting-out temperature, thus limiting the
  nutrient content.
• As the salting-out temperature is raised. The
  solution becomes unstable.

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Fluid fertilizer problems (Suspension)

• Applications can be hampered by the clogging of
  the nozzles
• Failure to agitate the tank

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Storage and Handling

• Refer to Table 6-3 for humidity and temperature
  data on each fertilizer.

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Storage and HandlingAmmonium nitrate

• Keep it away from open flames
• Avoid contaminating it with foreign matter.
• Sweep up dispose of all contaminated material.
• Do not store it in close proximity to steam pipes
  or radiators.
• Keep it separate from other materials stored in
  the same warehouse, especially combustible
  organic materials and urea.

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Urea

• Keep it away from open flames
• Avoid contaminating it with foreign matter.
• Sweep up dispose of all contaminated material.
• Do not store it in close proximity to steam pipes
  or radiators.
• Keep it separate from other materials stored in
  the same warehouse, especially combustible
  organic materials and ammonium nitrate.

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Why keep the two apart?

• Urea is less hygroscopic than ammonium nitrate.
  It will absorb moisture at 18 relative humidity
  if stored with ammonium nitrate.

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Ammonium sulfate

• Easy to store due to its high critical relative
  humidity of 79 at 860F
• It is corrosive, so store in concrete or wood
  structures.

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Phosphorus and potassium materials

• By the most part they require no specialized
  storage.
• Use common sense.
• It is corrosive, so store in concrete or wood
  structures.

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Fluid Materials Anhydrous ammonia

• Potentially hazardous due to the high pressures
  that it is stored under.

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Aqua ammonia

• Since ammonia vapor is constantly leaving the
  solution a pressure-vacuum relief value must be
  installed on storage tanks.

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Urea-ammonium nitrate solutions

• Store in mild steel or poly tanks with
  appropriate secondary containment.
• Brass, copper, or galvanized materials should not
  be used for handling systems.

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Ammonium nitrate solution

• Store in mild steel or poly tanks with
  appropriate secondary containment.
• NOTE that this is more corrosive to mild
  steel.
• Brass, copper, or galvanized materials should not
  be used for handling systems.

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Urea solutions

• Store in mild steel or poly tanks with
  appropriate secondary containment.
• Brass, copper, or galvanized materials should not
  be used for handling systems.
• Have a higher salt-out temperatures.

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Phosphoric superphosphoric acids

• Corrosive acids that require rubber or plastic
  lined stainless steel or plastic tanks and
  plumbing are required.
• A silica-gel breather should be installed to
  prevent moisture from entering the tank due to
  superphosphoric when it absorbs moisture produces
  a more corrosive acid.

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Cont.

• External jacketing or steam tracing will prevent
  freezing in long lines.
• Prevent contact with skin and eyes due to the
  fact that it is a strong dehydrating agent that
  can cause blistering.

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Clear liquid fluid suspensions

• If neutral solutions mild steel or poly storage
  can be used.

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Sulfuric Acid

• Storage tanks must be vented to maintain the
  tanks atmospheric pressure.
• When added to water it becomes more corrosive and
  the use of non-reactive liners are suggested.
• Should not be stored near other organic
  materials. It may cause ignition.

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Urea-acid combinations

• Storage tanks must be vented to maintain the
  tanks atmospheric pressure.
• When added to water it becomes more corrosive and
  the use of non-reactive liners are suggested.
• Should not be stored near other organic
  materials. It may cause ignition.

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Sulfur materials for formulation of liquids

• These types of fertilizers are corrosive. Thus
  one should use storage facilities that are not
  degraded when they come in contact with these
  substances.