SBIR Phase II: High Efficiency Low Cost Nitrogen Fertilizer Production from Fly Ash

United Environment & Energy, Llc, Horseheads NY

Investigators

Abstract

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop innovative high efficiency, low cost nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing technology from fly ash. Fly ash is a recycled material from coal power plants that may contain high concentrations of mercury and carbon. Traditional nitrogen fertilizer production uses natural gas as the primary feedstock and is very costly. The traditional fertilizers are water-soluble compounds, resulting in significant loss of fertilizer which in turn pollutes streams and ground water. America's coal power plants produce more than 71.1 million tons of fly ash per year, and most of it is disposed in landfills. The high mercury content in the fly ash makes the disposal more difficult and costly. The Phase II project will bring the viable fly ash nitrogen fertilizer production technology from a laboratory scale to a pilot scale, and will determine the optimal pilot plant operation conditions, produce fertilizer for farmland field testing, and demonstrate its commercial viability. The pilot plant data will be used to understand the importance of design parameters and operating conditions on plant performance, refine the manufacturing plant design, and reduce the risk associated with construction of manufacturing plants. The broader impacts (commercial significance) if this project is successful will be a high volume and highly technical application for fly ash and a value-added high efficiency low cost nitrogen fertilizer. The production of this fertilizer will not be affected by the availability of natural gas. Moreover, the projected production cost of this nitrogen fertilizer is much lower than that of the traditional nitrogen fertilizer. The use of this new nitrogen fertilizer on farms will increase crop production profitability and prevent fertilizer loss and water pollution. By avoiding the landfill disposal of the fly ash, the coal power plants will save millions of dollars. If all the fly ash produced at coal power plants in the US were used to produce nitrogen fertilizer, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer produced could meet the entire US market demand. The success of this new technology will bring a revolutionary change to the traditional nitrogen fertilizer production process and will have substantial environmental, economic, and technical benefits.