Czech Republic’s PVC and caprolactam manufacturer Spolana a.s. has completed a CZK25 million (approximately $1.2 million at current exchange rates) upgrade of its granulated agricultural-grade ammonium sulfate (AS) production.
The new product, which is to be marketed under the name SpolsanRG, compliments the company’s existing crystalline AS marketed as SpolanaRS, and is suitable for both gardeners and large-scale agricultural production, Spolana said in a Jan. 18 media statement.
SpolanaRS is produced as a by-product of the company’s caprolactam production.
The producer, which first mooted the plans for granular AS for agricultural use back in late 2017 (GM Dec. 22, 2017), said it plans to manufacture 45,000 mt of SpolsanRG this year.
“We are returning to the market with a fertilizer for direct use. It is the first step in developing a product range of mixed fertilizers based on ammonium sulfate, and will expand our product portfolio and increase our export capabilities,” said Spolana’s CEO Piotr Kearney.
Neratovice-based Spolana is the sole manufacturer of PVC and caprolactam on the Czech Republic market, and has been part of the Unipetrol group, the country’s largest refining and petrochemicals group, since 2016.
Unipetrol in turn has been 100 percent owned by Poland’s PKN Orlen since 2018, and this month was rebranded as Orlen Unipetrol as part of the company’s final integration into PKN Orlen.