ESTABLISH ENVIRONMENTAL FATE OF ALL COMPONENTS/IMPURITIES AND OF WASTE PRODUCT

Establish environmental fate of individual components and significant impurities and the fate of contaminated packaging. 

Typical waste materials from a fertilizer production site are:

1) Catalysts

• Catalysts containing chromium, nickel, iron, copper, and mineral/ceramic support materials (ammonia production)
• Platinum/rhodium catalysts (nitric acid production).
• Vanadium catalysts (sulphuric acid production).

For environmental and cost reasons these catalysts are returned to the catalyst producers for rework or handled as dangerous waste.

2) Resins

• Resins from boiler feed water treatment (ammonia production). These resins are returned to the resin producer.
• Water treatment resins (nitric acid production). There resins are regenerated/recycled.

3) Products

Fertilizers are derived from naturally occurring materials, such as nitrogen (from air), and rock phosphates (from mining operations) and are intended for growing crops. In modern agriculture fertilizers are used in an efficient way with no or little left-over wastes. Any left-over material should be returned to the supplier and/or disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.
Contaminated material must be handled safely 

4) Packaging/pallets

Internally at manufacturing plants and distribution warehouses: by recycling to waste handlers. Externally by customers: advising on national schemes for recycling.

5) Lubricating Oil

Periodic replacement is needed of the lubrication oil in rotating machines such as compressors, turbines and pumps.
Used oils should be returned to recycling operators.

6) Gypsum

Gypsum from phosphoric acid production should be disposed of as agreed with local authorities. In new plants phosphogypsum should be disposed of to land. The system should be designed to prevent any contaminated water from reaching the surrounding groundwater system 

7) Waste water

Waste water is recycled or treated in a physical-chemical waste water treatment unit or biological waste water treatment unit.

8) Heavy metals in fertilizers

Heavy metal impurities are an inevitable issue related to phosphate fertilizers. They originate from the raw material rock phosphate. The heavy metal content of the end product can only be controlled by the selection of the phosphate rock.

9) Additives/coatings
Waste materials of additives and coatings should be treated by recycling operators.