Engineering evaluation of selected segments of the Colombian fertilizer industry

A team of TVA engineers had previously studied the FERTICOL facility at Barrancabermeja in 1970 and made recommendations for improvement of the operation. Specific objectives of this new study were to: (1) Review the expansion plans recommended by the 1970 TVA team; (2) consider the feasibility of using domestic sources of phosphate rock to satisfy P2O5 demands; and (3) make recommendations concerning the increased use of domestic natural gas sources for nitrogen fertilizer production. Section I provides general background information. Comments are given concerning use of the natural gas newly discovered in Guajira for producing ammonia and urea. Recommendations to improve the FERTICOL operations are discussed in Section II. Section III contains a discussion of the use of domestic phosphate rock. The technical questions posed by ABOCOL were answered by letter, a copy of which is included in the appendix.