Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies, Vancouver, B.C., reported new details on its planned Crystal Green® production facility in St. Louis, saying it will have a capacity of 200,000 st/y and be up in third-quarter 2023.
“Ostara is excited to be bringing additional tons of Crystal Green to the market, as demand has continually outpaced supply,” said Ron Restum, Ostara Chief Commercial Officer. “The St. Louis facility is great news to North American farmers as we add needed tons to the market.
“Farmers really want a more efficient phosphate fertilizer option that feeds crops all season by avoiding nutrient loss through soil fixation, runoff, and leaching, and that’s Crystal Green,” he added. “The timing couldn’t be better, as the industry is looking for more locally produced fertilizers that avoid international supply chain issues. Additionally, the new plant will support much needed economic growth in the Midwest.”
Ostara purchased its St. Louis facility from Bruce Oakley Inc. in 2021, with plans to construct a state-of-the-art granulation facility to produce its fertilizers (GM July 16, 2021). It said last August that it planned to invest $25 million in the facility (GM Aug. 20, 2021). An Ostara spokesperson gave no update on that investment figure this week.
The new facility will add more than 40 jobs. The company is hiring in the manufacturing, sales, agronomy, and logistics departments. Restum said the company has already begun adding critical people to the team, and openings are regularly posted to the company website.
Ostara said the product will be shipped throughout North America, with ready access to the railway, barge, and trucks. The company currently operates a facility in Florida, but desired an additional presence in the central part of the country.
Ostara’s Pearl® technology recovers phosphorus and nitrogen from industrial and municipal water streams and transforms these nutrients into Crystal Green.