First world scale application of Stamicarbon's Granulation Technology for two new urea plants in Egypt

The innovative Stamicarbon urea granulation technology will find its first world scale application in two new plants contracted recently in Egypt.

his concerns the contracts signed with Egyptian Fertilizer Company (EFC) and Alexandria Fertilizer Company (AlexFert) for the construction of two new urea plants. Uhde GmbH, of Dortmund, Germany, will build the fertilizer complexes as turnkey projects. The EFC complex will be located at Ain Sukhna (near Suez) and the AlexFert complex at Abu Qir (near Alexandria). They are due to start production in late 2006.

Both contracts are for ammonia/urea complexes, each with a capacity of 1,200 tonnes per day of ammonia and 1,925 tonnes per day of urea. The ammonia plants will be based on Uhde's proprietary ammonia process while the urea plants will be built according to Stamicarbon's Urea Synthesis and innovative Granulation Technology. Each granulation plant will have a capacity of 2000 tonnes per day.

While Stamicarbon is the world leading licensor of urea synthesis technology, these two major contracts are a breakthrough for its innovative urea granulation technology.

In 1995 Stamicarbon introduced its patented granulation technology, which was developed in the 1970's and 1980's. In 1997 P/O Azot contracted this granulation technology for constructing a 280 tonnes per day granulation plant in Grodno Belarus. This plant has been operating above design capacity with excellent product quality since the beginning of 2002. In 2003 this technology was used to modify parts of an existing granulation plant of Agrium in Fort Saskatchewan, Canada with two lines of 625 tonnes per day each. This plant has been operating since October 2003 with excellent product quality.

Stamicarbon's decision to broaden its scope of technology licensing from synthesis to granulation shows once again its commitment to the fertilizer industry and its willingness to serve this technology market unconditionally and unrestrictedly.

Stamicarbon's urea synthesis technology has been licensed for design and construction of most of contracted / built urea grass root projects of the last three years, e.g.

• CNOOC in China with 2700 tonnes per day,
• PIDMCO (NPC) in Iran with 3250 tonnes per day,
• QAFCO in Qatar with 3200 tonnes per day,
• Turkmenistan Fertilizer & Chemicals with 1050 tonnes per day,
• KPIC in Iran with 2000 tonnes per day,
• SAFCO in Saudi Arabia with 3250 tonnes per day,
• SIUCI in Oman with 3500 tonnes per day in two lines
• and now these two projects in Egypt with 1925 tonnes per day each.