ICL enthusiastic about online 3D particle analysis

Buyers of fertilizers want as little caking and dust formation as possible. A nice round grain is an important parameter in preventing this problem. Producer ICL in Amsterdam, constantly working on improvement projects, therefore invested in instrumentation with 3D image analysis. “Measuring the real grain shape is unique in our world. The operator can now adjust our process much faster. With the new analysis equipment we not only increase our quality, but we also save time thanks to online measurement, ”explains Operations Engineer Ruhi Senler.

The 80's

In the 1980s, ICL in Amsterdam could still be classified as a phosphate factory. Over the years, the production of one type of fertilizer has been transformed into the production of more than 90 different types of fertilizer for the agricultural market. Depending on plants and soil types, ICL makes fertilizer granules with a combination of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K). ICL, owner since 1982, has its own mines in the Negev desert for the extraction of phosphate rock. The potassium salt comes from the Dead Sea in Israel and from mines in England and Spain. The phosphoric acid, important for the chemical reaction, also comes from Israel, where the head quarter is situated. Since the takeover, after substantial investments, production in Amsterdam has increased from 250,000 tons to 450,000 tons per year.

Customization process

The Amsterdam production location takes care of the entire process, from raw material to production and delivery of the end product in bulk, by ship or truck. The raw materials mainly come in with large sea-going vessels. For example, they receive thousands of tons of phosphate ore and potassium chloride in one charge. These raw materials, which ICL can use for a long time, are stored in the large sheds and in push barges. The first production phase is the opening up process. Phosphate rock is not soluble in water. This requires mixing and reacting with phosphoric or sulfuric acid. This digestion process takes approximately twenty minutes, after which a voluminous powder remains. Ruhi Senler: “When phosphate reacts with phosphoric acid, we make a triple super phosphate (run of pile or ROP) with 45.5% P2O5 (water-soluble phosphate). In a reaction with sulfuric acid we make a single super phosphate with 18.5% P2O5. Not every fertilizer factory has this digestion step, which is why ROP is also an end product. ” Ready-to-use ROP goes directly to the customer or to the next phase. During the second production phase, the powdery ROP enters the granule drum and, for example, potash and / or nitrogen are added. “The fertilizer granules form in this drum. The amount of water, steam, temperature and the rolling bed are important. Shaping round grains is our starting point ”, Ruhi explains. The third process stage takes place in the tumble dryer. In a large drum with lifters, the grains are taken to fall back down like a curtain. The pellets are dried by blowing hot dry air into the drum. This creates dried grains that may contain one to three percent moisture. The next step is to sieve the grains. First the coarse grains are removed and then the dust. The product that is too fine or coarse is returned to the process, so that no waste is created. The last stage for storage involves cooling for 20 minutes in a cooling drum.

Critical process parts

Characteristic of the product is that they do not use nitrates, so that the end product and transport do not have an explosion risk. However, the physical and chemical composition is extremely close. Ruhi: “Chemical means exactly the right composition N, P and K. And physically we not only want the right size, but also a certain roundness of the fertilizer grain.” The operator takes a sample every hour, which is then analyzed in the laboratory . Both of the powder (ROP) and of the grain. The result, the production of 50 to 60 tons per hour continues in the meantime, determines the degree of adjustment by the operator. Because most orders amount to more than 1,000 tons, there is sufficient recovery space for the grain drum process. However, this process can be more efficient. “The craftsmanship is on the one hand in producing a grain with the correct chemical composition. On the other hand, the grain must be hard, so that little dust is released and the grains do not stick together. This so-called caking also occurs because the grains are not all equally round and can slide into each other easily. To make a difference with the competition, we do a lot of research into improvements. ” ICL in Amsterdam is now adding coating oil before shipment to reduce this effect.

Quickly measure online

More influence on the grain process. That was and is the goal of ICL. The purchase of the Microtrac PartAn 3D from Inventech meant that the operator can directly adjust the grain drum process. Instead of manually taking a sample and measuring and waiting an hour for the result, sampling and measurement is now fully automatic online. “The advantage is that we are faster and need to correct less. We now know that we produce fewer deviating grains. These are less coarse and more rounder grains, which reduces the caking or clumping. Another advantage is the cleaning of the sieves. With the new PartAn we can better predict the correct frequency of this ”, the Operations Engineer experiences. Although the research project is still ongoing, it has already been established that the quality has improved. Production has probably also increased.

3D image analysis fertilizer granules

More rounder grains also mean that the customer experiences less dust formation due to abrasion. The 3D image analysis, an innovation in the fertilizer sector, makes it possible to measure the real shape or roundness of the fertilizer grain. The average grain size (D 50) is easier to keep constant by the PartAn 3D. Ruhi: “The fractions of grains that are too large and too small are easy to determine. But the particle shape, visible on the computer screen with the help of a high speed camera, is also an interesting parameter. We want to get even more out of this image analysis and visualization, so that the operator understands faster and then acts faster. ” Various ICL engineers have followed training for this at Inventech. After a few months, insight into the grain process has clearly increased. “We pass on what we learn during the training to our operators. Because the most important thing is that they can work well with it. I am very pleased with this new product as well as with Inventech's training and aftercare. I really like their personal contact. I get to ask them a lot of questions and they continuously think along with us. ” ICL took care of the construction itself, Inventech the installation which they quickly realized after a delivery time of three months. In addition, the engineers will soon receive an extra lab version for carrying out research. The conclusions of this research project will be finalized in six months' time. Ruhi: “The impact of the Microtrac PartAn 3D can become very big. We may also want to implement this innovative product in our foreign production locations. ”

More sustainable alternatives

Phosphate sources will eventually run out. That is why ICL is at the forefront of the market in the field of sustainability. “Our process engineers perform many studies in addition to small-scale tests. Our goal is to develop sustainable alternatives to phosphates in our processes, ”says Ruhi Senler. For example, the company works together with Waternet to use their residual product strufite. Another phosphate source is bone meal ash. This is a residual product from slaughterhouses and is released after the burning of bones. “We want to store both fully recyclable residual products in two new silos to be built in the future. And then integrate fully automatically into our process via air transport. This requires an investment of several million. ” ICL has drilled a new raw material in its own mine in England. This high-quality polisulphate also contains magnesium and sulphate in addition to potassium. This product does not undergo any processing step and, unlike potassium chloride, dissolves slowly. The market is asking for such a slow release potassium source, so that the plant absorbs the nutrition more gradually. Polisulfate is therefore suitable for organic agriculture and is already widely used there. ”

About ICL Amsterdam

ICL Amsterdam is part of the European fertilizer division of the ICL Group (Israel Chemicals Limited). The Amsterdam production site, part of UKF until 1982, together with ICL Fertilizers Deutschland, produces almost one million tons of fertilizer granules per year. Due to its location on the IJ, large seagoing vessels can moor for the supply of raw materials and deliveries, mainly for export within Europe. In addition, ICL Amsterdam serves as an important transhipment location for various other products within the ICL Group, which, in addition to the agricultural market, focuses on raw materials for the medical, food and fire-retardant industries. ICL, with 13,000 employees worldwide, has its own raw material reserves. The group is one of the largest producers of bromine, potassium and phosphoric acid in the world. Note: This article was previously published in Solids Processing and is reproduced with permission from the publisher.

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Breakthrough in the prevention of caking and dust formation with the production of fertilizers

ICL enthusiastic about online 3 D particle size analysis