Thyssenkrupp Fertilizer Technology, Dortmund, Germany, has signed a contract with Egypt’s Abu Qir Fertilizers Co. for the revamp of its Abu Qir 3 (ABUK-3) urea granulation plant in Alexandria.
Thyssenkrupp Fertilizer Technology said it will supply the license, the process design package, and proprietary equipment for the project. The UFTR fluid bed granulation will increase the plant’s nameplate capacity to 2,500 mt/d or more of urea granules from the current 2,000 mt/d.
The project is targeting the revamped plant to be operating at 100 percent capacity in 2025.
Abu Qir was reported last month to have engaged Thyssenkrupp to undertake technical studies for Abu Qir 3’s urea granulation capacity expansion (GM June 11, p. 29). At the time, GM incorrectly reported the existing urea granulation capacity as 1,925 mt/d.
Abu Qir Chairman and Managing Director Saad Ibrahim Abu El-Maati Hassan said in addition to “a significant boost” to the plant capacity, the project will simultaneously lower the plant’s power consumption per produced ton of granular urea and reduce direct emissions at the same time.
The urea granulation expansion is just one element of the Egyptian company’s ambitious expansion plans, which also potentially include an ammonium nitrate production facility, now under feasibility study, and a new complex to produce ammonia and methanol in the Suez Canal Economic Zone in Ain Sokna.