Abstract
Ammonium nitrate fertilizers have a tendency to cake during storage. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of organic coatings for preventing the caking of ammonium nitrate fertilizers and to assess the influence of the composition and physicochemical properties of the anti-caking agents used as coatings for fertilizers on their effectiveness. CAN (calcium ammonium nitrate) and AN (ammonium nitrate) fertilizers were coated with three anti-caking agents. A GC–MS technique was used for the identification and quantitative determination of the composition of the organic coatings. The influence of the following physicochemical parameters of the preparations was assessed: density, viscosity, melting point, water content, and base number. The effectiveness of anti-caking agents was determined by measuring the force needed to crush the clumped uncoated and coated fertilizers, which were previously subjected to thermal cycles under load. Composition studies showed that all the tested preparations contained hexadecylamine and octadecylamine in comparable amounts and a slack wax. The results demonstrate that the key parameters of an effective anti-caking agent are low water content, appropriate viscosity, and appropriate content of fatty amines. This study can facilitate the development of innovative coatings with similar or higher efficiency, yet with a reduced negative impact on the environment.
Highlights
The global demand for mineral fertilizers, those based on nitrogen, is constantly increasing due to the growing population and demand for food [1]
The aim of this work was to demonstrate the influence of composition and physicochemical properties of the anti-caking agents commercially used as coatings for ammonium nitrate-based fertilizers on their effectiveness, in order to develop innovative organic coatings of similar or higher efficiency but with a reduced negative environmental impact
By preventing the caking of ammonium nitrate fertilizers, it is possible to reduce the propensity of ammonium nitrate to explode when forced by external factors
Summary
The global demand for mineral fertilizers, those based on nitrogen, is constantly increasing due to the growing population and demand for food [1]. The most commonly used solid fertilizers based on ammonium nitrate are CAN (calcium ammonium nitrate) and AN (ammonium nitrate). The popularity of these fertilizers stems primarily from the possibility of obtaining high nitrogen content in the product. The physicochemical properties of ammonium nitrate include explosiveness, water solubility, and high hygroscopicity. Ammonium nitrate occurs in different phase variations, which affect the behavior of the fertilizers based on this compound during storage, in conditions of Coatings 2020, 10, 1093; doi:10.3390/coatings10111093 www.mdpi.com/journal/coatings
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