Italy’s Maire SpA reported that its NextChem (Sustainable Technology Solutions) subsidiary, through its Netherlands-based nitrogen technology licensor Stamicarbon BV, has been awarded licensing and equipment supply contracts for a urea melt plant in China by Jiangsu Huachang Chemical Co.
The plant, to be located in Zhangjiagang in the Jiangsu province, will have a capacity of 1,860 mt/d and use Stamicarbon’s Ultra-Low Energy (ULE) design.
Maire said the proprietary ULE design, launched in 2012, allows for heat supply in the form of high-pressure steam to be used three times instead of two. According to Maire, this heat recovery scheme results in a 35% reduction in steam consumption and a 16% decrease in cooling water use compared to the traditional CO2 stripping process.
The Jinjiang Xinlianxin and Hubei Sanning plants in China already use the ULE design and have been in operation since 2021.