Calgary-based Sulvaris Inc. on Jan. 28 announced that it has signed definitive agreements for the construction and operation of a new sulfur fertilizer production facility near Rocky Mountain House in west-central Alberta.
The plant, which will be located on the site of a large gas processing facility, will convert elemental sulfur produced by the energy sector into Vitasul, a premium plant nutrient sulfur fertilizer.
Construction of the new facility will take place in 2013, subject to financing and regulatory approvals. Plant capacity is planned at 217,000 mt/y, with production slated to commence in early 2014.
Sulvaris said the Vitasul production process results in extremely fine,10-micron sulfur particles that are pelletized into fertilizer granules with high physical integrity and low dusting tendencies. Upon wetting, the granules quickly disperse into super-fine sulfur particles in the soil. Microbial activity then converts the elemental sulfur to sulfate-form plant nutrient sulfur, Sulvaris says, ensuring consistent plant food availability and quick response throughout the growing season.
“Vitasul is an innovative, high-analysis sulfur fertilizer product unlike anything currently available on the market,” said Bill Boycott, Sulvaris president. The company said the product has consistently outperformed other forms of plant nutrient sulfur in four years of global field trials on a variety of crops.
Sulvaris said a number of factors have led to globally depleted soil levels of sulfur, which is vital in a plant’s production of oil, chlorophyll, and protein, and is critical in the uptake of other key nutrients, including nitrogen. In addition, the placement of excess sulfur has been a long-term challenge for the oil and gas processing industry.
As a result, Sulvaris said its Vitasul technology helps to resolve problems in both the energy and agriculture sectors.