Dodge City, Kan.-Koch Nitrogen Co. said April 25 that in May it will begin a construction project at its nitrogen plant here aimed at improving plant efficiency and reducing water consumption. “While production will be down during the project, we will have produced and stored enough fertilizer to fulfill our commitments to customers,” said Gary LeRock, plant manager. “When construction is complete in June, we expect to improve our ability to process natural gas, our main feedstock for producing ammonia. As a result, we will increase our reliability and efficiency.” The total project is estimated at nearly $19 million and will require approximately 400 employees from construction firm contractors, many from outside the Dodge City area. Koch makes ammonia, UAN, and carbon dioxide at the plant, which began operations in 1968. The company has 42 employees in Dodge City. A Koch spokesperson said it will not impact the actual amount of fertilizer produced and did not give an estimate of how much gas and water would be saved. Approximate ammonia and UAN capacities at the facility are 309,000 st/y and 255,000 st/y, according to the International Fertilizer Development Center.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain