Louisville — A new $13 million sulfur fertilizer plant here that expects to use 300,000 st/y of gypsum from Louisville Gas & Electric’s (LG&E) Mill Creek Generating Station, while widely-hailed in an Earth Day opening, is now undergoing more scrutiny. The local press has focused on two things: a $2.5 million, 3.5 percent, seven-year loan granted to Charah Inc. for the plant out of tobacco settlement funds; and assertions by University of Kentucky agronomists that Kentucky farmers do not need more sulfur in their soil. Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer (R) has defended the bipartisan initiative, saying that his own farm is sulfur-deficient and that he has relied on the advice of farmers and agricultural retailers and not research universities. The Charah plant sits on 4.5 acres of the 570-acre LG&E site. In addition to making pelleted SUL4R-PLUS fertilizer, Charah will also assist LG&E in fly ash disposal. Charah says the fertilizer, which is 16 percent sulfur and 22 percent calcium, is a uniform size that can be applied with other dry inputs and spread evenly for superior coverage. The company says since the fertilizer is a sulfate it starts working almost on contact and dissolves with water in the soil solution, and that the product works across a broader range of weather and humidity conditions. Unlike ammonium sulfate, Charah says the fertilizer will not absorb moisture from the air under hot and humid conditions to become sticky in equipment. Charah also says the product is pH-neutral and does not require limestone to correct soil acidity after application. Nation-wide, ammonium sulfate consumption was up 18.9 percent in fertilizer year 2010-2011 from 2009-2010, according to the recent Commercial Fertilizers 2011, to 1.5 million st from 1.26 million st.
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