Urea Polyhalite Fertilizer Granules Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fertilizer granules containing magnesium sulfate and urea face issues with storage stability, mechanical properties, and nitrogen content, as they tend to clump or emit ammonia, and existing solutions require complex processes and expensive starting materials.
Innovation Solution
Fertilizer granules composed of magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulfate, and urea, with at least some components in the crystalline phase of CaSO4*4CO(NH2)2, produced through a process involving calcined polyhalite and urea agglomeration, offering improved mechanical strength and reduced ammonia emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If magnesium sulfate granules and urea are mixed for fertilization, then nitrogen loss is reduced, but the mixture becomes unstable and forms pasty masses that are difficult to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines magnesium sulfate and urea into a single granular fertilizer product where both components are uniformly distributed and chemically compatible, eliminating the instability issues of physical mixtures while maintaining the nitrogen conservation benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite fertilizer material integrating magnesium sulfate and urea in a stable granular form, combining the nutritional benefits of both compounds while achieving mechanical stability and resistance to moisture-induced clumping
2Stability of the object's composition
If complex compounds of magnesium sulfate and urea are produced, then storage stability is improved, but the production process becomes complex and requires expensive starting materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses readily available, inexpensive starting materials (magnesium sulfate and urea) that can be easily procured, avoiding the need for expensive specialized compounds like calcined magnesium sulfate, thereby simplifying the supply chain and production economics
Solution Approach 2:
The invention optimizes the granulation process parameters including moisture content, granulation speed, and ingredient ratios to achieve stable granules through physical processing rather than complex chemical synthesis, simplifying the production methodology
3Quantity of substance
If high proportion of magnesium is used in granules, then fertilizer effectiveness is improved, but the granules tend to clump and form pasty masses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent distributes magnesium sulfate uniformly throughout the granule structure rather than concentrating it in specific regions, and uses granulation techniques that create a matrix where magnesium compounds are separated by inert carriers, preventing localized moisture accumulation and clumping
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces inert carrier materials and uses controlled moisture levels as intermediaries during granulation to bind ingredients temporarily during processing, then removes excess moisture to leave stable, free-flowing granules that resist clumping
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The granules exhibit enhanced mechanical properties, stability against moisture, and reduced ammonia emissions, while being produced from readily available materials without the need for expensive binders or complex processes.
Implementation Method 1
a salt mixture containing calcined polyhalite and urea is subjected to build-up agglomeration with the addition of water
Implementation Method 2
at least some of the calcium, the urea and the sulfate are in the form of the crystalline phase of the formula (I) CaSO4*4CO(NH2)2
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to spherical fertilizer granules comprising magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulfate and urea, based in each case on the total weight of the granules, in the following amounts: urea, calculated as nitrogen, in an amount of 11.0% to 33.0% by weight, magnesium, in an amount of 1.0% to 3.5% by weight, calcium, in an amount of 3.5% to 9.0% by weight, potassium, in an amount of 3.4% to 9.0% by weight, and sulfate, calculated as elemental sulfur, in an amount of 5.5% to 15.0% by weight, wherein at least some of the calcium, the urea and the sulfate is in the form of the crystalline phase of the formula (I): CaSO4 * 4 NH2-C(=O)-NH2. The invention also relates to a process for producing the fertilizer granules of the invention composed of polyhalite and urea, and to the use of the fertilizer granules as fertilizer or in fertilizer mixtures.