Nitrogen Fertilizers: Moving from a Major Country to a Strong Country

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Nitrogen Fertilizers: Moving from a Major Country to a Strong Country. Author/Source: Sinochem New Network. Date: July 28, 2021. Clicks: 20. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of China*. China’s nitrogen fertilizer industry began to develop with the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Under the leadership of the Party, and through more than 70 years of hard work, it has achieved remarkable results – progressing from a state of poverty and lack of resources to self-sufficiency, and even to the ability to export a certain amount of fertilizer. Over the past 70 years, China’s large, medium, and small-scale nitrogen fertilizer industries have continued to integrate, giving rise to a nitrogen fertilizer industry that now features 20 enterprise groups with production capacities of millions of tons each, as well as over 200 manufacturing firms. With a total production volume that ranks first in the world, China is gradually evolving from a major country to a powerful one in this sector. 　　To address the food needs of the world’s most populous agricultural country, the fertilizer industry – which is essential for producing food – has received great attention from leaders at all levels since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Due to the weak foundation of China’s nitrogen fertilizer industry in the early years of the founding of the country, there were only 5 nitrogen fertilizer production plants nationwide, with an annual output of around 6,000 tons. To meet the urgent demand for fertilizers in food production, with the kind care and support of the older generation of leaders represented by * and Zhou Enlai, China not only restored and expanded existing nitrogen fertilizer plants but also built a large number of new ones. 　　In June 1951, the Dalian Chemical Plant, which had been renamed from Manchuria Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., resumed full-scale production of synthetic ammonia. While continuously expanding the Dalian Chemical Plant, China also imported complete nitrogen fertilizer production units from the Soviet Union to build fertilizer plants in three chemical industrial zones in Jilin, Lanzhou, and Taiyuan, each with a capacity of 50,000 tons per year of synthetic ammonia. These plants came online in 1957, 1958, and 1961 respectively. 　　During the 31 years from 1952 to 1982, investment in fertilizers across the country accounted for more than half of the total investment in the chemical industry. Investment in nitrogen fertilizer production alone made up over 80% of the total investment in the fertilizer industry, and a certain level of technical expertise as well as a solid foundation for development were already in place. 　　In 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party was successfully held, injecting new vitality into the development of China’s nitrogen fertilizer industry. Over the 40 years since the reform and opening up, the total volume of nitrogen fertilizers has seen several periods of rapid growth. In particular, thanks to significant development over the past decade or so, there has been a historic shift from reliance on imports to a situation of supply and demand balance, with even a surplus in production. In 1991, China became the world’s largest producer of nitrogen fertilizers; in 2003 it became a net exporter, and in 2007 it became the world’s largest exporter. Now, our country has truly become a major global producer of nitrogen fertilizers. 　　Since the reform and opening up, the nitrogen fertilizer industry has carried out multidisciplinary and multi-field technological innovations to address the urgent technical challenges faced by the sector, developing a large number of new technologies and equipment that have had a significant impact on its development. A number of new coal gasification technologies have been successfully developed and gradually introduced, including dry powder coal gasification technology represented by space furnaces, and coal slurry gasification technologies represented by multi-nozzle opposed gasifiers and Jinhua furnaces. A number of technologies and equipment for gas purification, ammonia synthesis, and urea production, which possess independent intellectual property rights, have been successively developed and put into use, thereby significantly enhancing the core competitiveness of the nitrogen fertilizer industry. 　　After nearly 70 years of development, China has become the world’s largest producer, consumer, and trader of nitrogen fertilizers, and is gradually emerging as a global power. 　　“Since the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China’s nitrogen fertilizer and methanol industries have seen significant development; remarkable progress has been made in terms of both enterprise scale and technical capabilities. The production and consumption of nitrogen fertilizers and methanol in China remain among the highest in the world. At the same time, to achieve high-quality development, the nitrogen fertilizer industry has also made significant progress in transformation and upgrading. 　　According to statistics from the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association, between 2013 and 2017, a total of 11.3 million tons of ammonia production capacity and 17.97 million tons of urea production capacity were phased out. This helped to curb overcapacity, and the profitability of the industry gradually improved, with the industry turning profitable in 2017. In 2020, China’s production capacities for synthetic ammonia and urea were 66.76 million tons and 66.34 million tons respectively, representing declines of 8.7% and 19.1% compared to 2015 ； The production volumes of nitrogen fertilizers, synthetic ammonia, and urea were 40.33 million tons (in terms of pure nitrogen), 58.84 million tons, and 56.23 million tons respectively, representing decreases of 14.5%, 11.9%, and 20.3% compared to 2015. Over the past 5 years, the nitrogen fertilizer industry has focused on developing green and efficient products, continuously creating new types of fertilizers. The production capacity and output of advanced fertilizers such as high-efficiency urea, nitro compound fertilizers, water-soluble fertilizers, and calcium amino acid fertilizers have been increasing year by year; the utilization rate of nitrogen fertilizers has risen by 3.2 percentage points compared to 2015. 　　“During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China’s nitrogen fertilizer industry will focus on the main theme of supply-side structural reform, striving to promote industrial transformation and upgrading ； Implement a strategy for scientific and technological innovation to continuously enhance the core competitiveness of the industry; pursue a green development strategy to improve the sector’s low-carbon development level; meet the new demands of modern agricultural development by striving to raise the quality of agrochemical services ； Accelerate the pace of going global and actively build a dual-circulation system at home and abroad.