Acron Group, one of the leading producers of mineral fertilizers in Russia and the world, is implementing a project to build a plant for the production of granular calcium nitrate (calcium nitrate) with a capacity of 100 thousand tons per year at its production site in Veliky Novgorod. The volume of investments will be about $ 22 million. The production start-up date is 2022.
The raw material for the new fertilizer will be liquid calcium nitrate, a by-product of the processing of apatite concentrate in the production of complex NPK fertilizers. The production of various grades of calcium nitrate is planned: for agriculture and for industry. Among the brands for agriculture will be produced intended for application directly into open ground and water-soluble for greenhouse farms.
The project will be implemented in two stages. Initially, a unit for purification and preparation of liquid calcium nitrate from impurities for subsequent transfer of calcium nitrate to the workshop will be put into operation at the operating unit No. 1 of the nitroammophoska shop. The second stage envisages the construction of a pelletizing plant, designed taking into account the advanced technologies of multilayer pelletizing in a drum with a built-in fluidized bed. The technological scheme will involve units for sieving the obtained granules, crushing, cooling and packaging the finished product.
A warehouse will be equipped for storing fertilizers. It is planned to ship products by rail and road in bags, stretch hoods and big bags.
“The construction of a calcium nitrate plant is an important project in Acron's 2025 investment program. At our Novgorod site, for the first time in Russia, we will receive a demanded product based on calcium nitrate with high strength, thus, we will continue to expand our production capacity, product line and meet market challenges, "said Alexander Popov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Acron.
Calcium nitrate or calcium nitrate is a fertilizer that is widely used in agriculture. It is produced in the form of a crystalline salt and is highly soluble in water. It contains 19% calcium and about 13% nitrogen. It is used on various types of soils, but is especially effective on sod-podzolic soils.