First time outside USA: Technology to cut urea dust emissions delivered to Russian Federation

Designed by Stamicarbon and US-based partner EnviroCare International, the modular scrubber was delivered on time to a new urea melt and granulation project in the Russian Federation. The Volgafert LLC plant is currently under construction in Tolyatti, in the country’s western Samara region.

Two urea plants in the United States already feature this innovative scrubbing technology and have achieved ultra-low urea dust emissions (both particulate and condensables) below the applied stringent government requirements (less than 10 mg/Nm3 for one plant and less than 5 mg/Nm3 for the other). Meanwhile, opacity tests found that the plants produce zero plume.

“As we have already seen in the United States, emissions restrictions are becoming more stringent and we expect the rest of the world to follow suit,” said Stamicarbon Licensing Manger, Wilfried Dirkx. “Regulations aside, several producers are already looking to find more efficient, reliable, maintenance free and sustainable solutions.”

There are already two more orders in the pipeline, both from customers outside North America.

Pilots show the difference

EnviroCare International Engineering Manager Robert Yates said the MMV Scrubber technology can also be incorporated into existing plants to retrofit outdated scrubbing technology.

“If a client wants to test how well our scrubber can perform, compared to their own, we can do that,” he said. “With mobile equipment, we have the capability to perform pilot tests to demonstrate our technology on location, over a few weeks or a few months. We can adjust our equipment to optimize different design variables, such as incorporating a new technology, running different pressure drops or injecting different chemicals.”

The MicroMist™ Venturi (MMV) Scrubber explained

The patented MMV Scrubber is advanced wet scrubbing technology developed and optimized by Stamicarbon and EnviroCare International engineers. It removes submicron filterable particulate, condensable particulate, and soluble gases at very high efficiencies with low energy input, while reducing liquid effluent waste streams. The MMV Scrubber improves upon the original design concepts of a traditional Venturi scrubber by optimizing the sequence of the scrubbing stages inside the vessel. The latest scrubbers, such as the Volgafert vessel, feature a modular design to allow for smooth onsite installation.

About the Volgafert project

The planned greenfield urea plant will be operated by Volgafert LLC, a joint venture between Russian fertilizer producer KuibyshevAzot and the Maire Tecnimont Group (involving Stamicarbon as licensor and Tecnimont as EPC contractor). With a capacity of 540,000 t/y, the plant will feature Stamicarbon’s LAUNCH MELT Pool Reactor™ technology and fluid bed granulation technology.