Explorations into By-products

Explorations into By-products Hansavivek GUJARAT STATE FERTILIZERS COMPANY has turned out impressive results for the nine months ended December 1975, with both sales and gross profit markedly higher as compared to the preceding 12 months. Net profit however has been lower, since a substantial portion of the profit will now be subject to income-tax for which necessary provision has been made. Dividend has been stepped up from 12 per cent to 15 per cent and is covered more than five times by earnings. Production of fertilisers and caprolactum was maintained at satisfactory levels in of failure of reactor liner in urea- ptant and disturbed operating conditions in the ammonium sulphate recovery section of the caprolactum plant. Under a programme of replacement and modification of fertiliser plants, a new urea reactor was installed last year and the reformer tubes of ammonia-1 plant will be replaced during the current year. Steps have also been initiated for debot- tlenecking of the phosphoric acid plant to increase production of phosphoric acid and consequently of phosphatic fertilisers. The management has decided to establish purge gas recovery facility at a cost of Rs 8.28 crores, for which a contract has been concluded with a West German firm. Foreign exchange for the project will come out of loan assistance from the World Bank to the government of India. The project envisages produc- tion of argon gas required for industrial purposes and will also provide some saving in naphtha and gas consumption in the manufacture of ammonia, The company has been issued letters of intent for setting up manufacturing facilities for 5,000 tonnes of melaminc per annum and fluorine recovery. Negotiations are under way for selection of the process and foreign contractor for melamine, The fluorine recovery project will, while preventing pollution of atmosphere by the fluorine that escapes into air, enable fluorine to be recovered, which will be converted into valuable products like cryolite for aluminium fluoride. A letter of intent has also been received for the ABS/SAN project, which is proposed to be implemented with the company's own know how, being developed by the research department. A new company under the name 'Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Company' has been incorporated to undertake the new fertiliser project of 1,350 tonnes per day ammonia plant and 1,600 tonnes per day urea plant, Government of Gujarat and GSFC will he the promoters and will contribute 26 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively, to the share capital of this new company. The new fertiliser project will be set up near Broach in Gujarat.