Cactus, Tex.-Reports of a fertilizer tank explosion at the Omni Agri Trade Group plant here were greatly exaggerated (GM Oct. 12, p. 11), according to Mark Moore, Omni Group owner and CEO. “It actually amounted to a very small fire of what was probably fertilizer residue in a tank that had not been in use for some time,” Moore told Green Markets. “As near as we can tell it was an exothermic reaction. But it remains somewhat of a mystery that we are investigating.” Still, reports of an explosion came out in the local press, which actually never visited the site. Moore said state environmental inspectors did visit the plant to take a look at the liquid urea storage tank. They found nothing to be concerned about or even to report, so they left. Moore said the tank involved was actually a 1,000 gallon fiberglass structure, which he believed was the big part of the problem. The fiberglass started to burn when the residue in the bottom heated up from some type of internal combustion. He said the fiberglass mostly smoldered, but there was never much in the way of flames. The result was a small hole in the bottom of the tank and lots of smoke, Moore noted. He said the tank was part of the property acquired from North Plains Fertilizer and Chemical LLC in December 2007, after most of the buildings and equipment had been destroyed in a tornado. The site of the fire is next to two other facilities: Omni Agri’s wholesale dry fertilizer blending plant, which they rebuilt upon acquisition, and its sulfur bentonite manufacturing plant across the street. The blending plant is where Omni Agri produces its Greensun line of degradable sulfur fertilizers and micronutrients.
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