Shaping Fertilizer: Tackling the Granulation Challenge of Ammonium Chloride

In modern agriculture, nitrogen fertilizer is crucial for ensuring food production. However, one efficient and inexpensive nitrogen source—ammonium chloride—has been hindered from reaching its full potential due to a "physical flaw": it's notoriously difficult to form into granules. Why Granular Fertilizer Matters Imagine two types of fertilizer: one is a light powder that can easily blow away in the wind; the other consists of uniform, sturdy pellets. Which one is preferable? The answer is clear. Granular fertilizer is easier to spread mechanically, allows for precise dosage control, releases nutrients more steadily, and suffers minimal loss during transport and storage. Therefore, "granulation" is a key step in fertilizer production. Nitrogen fertilizers like urea and ammonium sulfate can be granulated relatively easily. But ammonium chloride is a stubborn exception. Due to the strong ionic bonds between its ammonium and chloride ions, traditional tumble-granulation methods are largely ineffective. In the past, factories had to resort to "extrusion granulation" technology—forcing the material through a die to form strands, which are then cut into pellets, much like making noodles. This method not only causes severe equipment corrosion but is also energy-intensive, low-yielding, and costly. Consequently, ammonium chloride has typically been sold as a powder or used as a minor component in compound fertilizers, limiting its widespread application.

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