American Plant Food River Partners (APFRP), a subsidiary of American Plant Food Corp. (APF), confirmed that it is proceeding with plans to build a 420,000 st/y ammonium sulfate plant at Cornerstone Chemical Co.’s 800-acre Cornerstone Energy Park in Waggaman, La.
APFRP in March filed an initial minor source permit application with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. If the permit is approved, the company would break ground on the $200 million facility in January 2024, with construction completed by mid-2025.
“This project represents a significant investment in Jefferson Parish and will make APFRP a reliable source of crop nutrients for Louisiana and America’s farmers,” said Jerry Bilicek, Chief Operating Officer for APF, in an April 4 statement to Green Markets.
“Reduced nitrogen fertilizer production in the US over the past 30 years, coupled with the growing need for sulfur, has led to an increased reliance on foreign-produced fertilizers,” Bilicek said. “APFRP’s proposed fertilizer production facility will ensure access to a dependable supply of vital crop nutrients made in the US, while improving supply diversity and enhancing domestic food security.”
APF, which is headquartered in Galena Park, Texas, first announced plans for the facility last October (GM Oct. 28, 2022). At the time, APF said the plant would cost $225 million and be able to produce 500,000 st/y of ammonium sulfate, but both the cost and capacity estimates have been lowered with value engineering completed.
The facility will source ammonia and sulfuric acid from Incitec Pivot Ltd.’s (IPL) Waggaman ammonia plant and Cornerstone, respectively, with the latter producing sulfuric acid along with other chemicals. Following last month’s announcement that CF Industries Holdings Inc. has agreed to purchase IPL’s 880,000 st/y (800,000 mt/y) ammonia production complex in Waggaman (GM March 24, p. 1), CF will reportedly inherit the deal to supply ammonia to the new APF facility.
APF also reported in October that it is exploring a technology that would allow it to extract ammonium sulfate from wastewater already produced at the site. The extracted product could represent as much as 13% of the facility’s production capacity, the company said.
According to the DEQ permit application, the facility will consist of three ammonium sulfate granulation plants and two ammonium sulfate and NPK fertilizer handling structures. All equipment and material transfer points in the facility will be equipped with vent take-offs to minimize dust, and enclosed belt conveyers will be used to transport the ammonium sulfate to a 60,000 st storage building.
The NPK fertilizers that will be received, stored, and distributed from the site include urea, MAP, DAP, and potash. The facility will include a dedicated barge dock for incoming shipments of these products, the permit states, and the proposed NPK storage building will have capacity for approximately 30,000 st.
According to the statement from Bilicek, the project represents approximately $200 million in local capital investment in Jefferson Parish and will provide roughly 200 construction jobs and 30 permanent jobs. The facility’s 420,000 st/y ammonium sulfate capacity will be distributed by barge, rail, and truck.
“Cornerstone is one of the largest employers in Jefferson Parish, with hundreds of employees who call South Louisiana home,” Bilicek said. “APF River Partners and Cornerstone are currently engaged with and investing in the community, and regularly communicating with city and parish stakeholders to keep them appraised and updated on the proposed facility’s schedule and progress.”