Production Process: Donaldsonville Nitrogen Complex

CF Industries manufactures three nitrogen products at the Donaldsonville complex: anhydrous ammonia, granular urea, and UAN Solution.

• Anhydrous ammonia is produced using air, water, and natural gas. Each of the complex’s four ammonia plants can produce approximately 1600 tons of product per day. The ammonia production process includes five steps: raw materials preparation, hydrogen generation, gas purification, ammonia synthesis, and refrigeration.
• Granular urea is produced using anhydrous ammonia and carbon dioxide (CO2), a byproduct of the ammonia production process. Three of the complex’s four urea plants produce granular urea, with a capacity of approximately 1500 tons per day each. The urea production process includes four steps: urea synthesis, urea purification, granulation, and storage and shipping. The fourth liquid urea plant feeds the complex’s two UAN solution plants.
• UAN Solution is produced using liquid urea, nitric acid, and ammonia. The complex has two UAN Solution plants, with a capacity of approximately 3300 tons per day each. The UAN Solution production process includes three steps: nitric acid production, ammonium nitrate formation, and UAN mixing.