Russian chemicals group Metrafrax Chemicals JSC has put into operation its new ammonia-urea-melamine complex in Gubakha in the country’s Perm Region. The complex has a design capacity of 500,000 mt/y for urea, 298,000 mt/y for ammonia, and 40,000 mt for melamine.
Ammonia synthesis is being carried out based on nitrogen and hydrogen, with the hydrogen coming from purge gas of methanol production at the site, and carbon dioxide from the flue gases of the reforming furnaces, the company said in a statement on its website.
The project included the construction of a CO2 recovery unit, and the production complex will process about 400,000 mt of CO2 per year, Metrafrax said. According to Vladimir Daut, the project manager of AKM Construction Ltd. and a member of the Metrafrax Group Board of Directors, this is the first urea production facility based on this technology.
The ammonia output will be used entirely for the production of urea. The urea and melamine output will be sold on both the domestic and foreign markets and will be used as raw materials for the production of resins by Metadynea Co., which is part of the Metrafrax Group, Metrafrax said.
Construction of the complex started on March 2, 2018, and is the largest investment project in the history of the company. The project cost has been estimated at $863 million.