Unigel invests R＄600 million in the nitrogen fertilizer segment

With the aim of strengthening national fertilizer production, Unigel - one of the largest chemical companies in Latin America and the largest manufacturer of nitrogen fertilizers in the country - announces important investments that further strengthen the company's leadership level in the national nitrogen fertilizer market .

After issuing R＄500 million in debentures in its first operation on the local capital market, Unigel began the construction of a new sulfuric acid factory with a production capacity of 450 thousand tons per year, in addition to producing 50 thousand tons annual production of oleum and generate energy in the form of steam, which will be used in the various Unigel factories located in the Camaçari petrochemical complex, in the state of Bahia. It is a structure of almost 25 thousand m².

Today, sulfuric acid is an important raw material for Unigel, used in acrylic production processes and essential for the production of ammonium sulfate fertilizer. The product can also be used in other applications in the chemical, textile, metallurgical, paper and cellulose industries, among others. Oleum is also used as a raw material in the manufacture of Unigel methacrylates, and can also be used by other industries, especially in the extraction of minerals and precious metals. With the project, Unigel becomes self-sufficient in sulfuric acid and oleum, and must direct the surplus to the market.

For this operation, Unigel invested in hiring MECS®, a globally recognized North American technology, which will allow the annual production of 640 thousand tons of steam for energy generation, reducing dependence on purchasing steam to supply the company's production units. Unigel in Camaçari (BA). Furthermore, the project contributes to the challenges of decarbonizing the production chain, since the steam produced in the new sulfuric acid plant will be free from the burning of fossil fuels.

Furthermore, on the 8th, the company signed, with the government of the State of Sergipe, a protocol of intentions to reactivate the ammonium sulfate factory, located at Unigel Agro Sergipe (formerly FAFEN-SE), in Laranjeiras. The investment is estimated at between R＄50 million and R＄100 million. The initiative will allow the annual production of up to 320 thousand tons of ammonium sulfate. This volume is added to the production capacity of 350 thousand tons within the Unigel Acrylics complex in Candeias (BA).

Both actions are expected to operate in the first half of 2023 and, according to Unigel's CEO, Roberto Noronha, such moves remodel and optimize the Company's entire production chain. “The self-production of sulfuric acid will mean that Unigel will no longer import this raw material, increasing the competitiveness of our current operations. Furthermore, it will allow us to expand our operations in fertilizers, with the reactivation of the ammonium sulfate plant in Sergipe, which doubles our production capacity”, says the executive. “Executing these projects within the estimated time is also a differentiator, considering their complexity”, reinforces Noronha.

Currently, the company already has a production capacity of 925 thousand tons of ammonia, 1.125 thousand tons of urea and 220 thousand tons of ARLA, an automotive liquid agent used in diesel engines to reduce pollutant emissions.