Title: Application of life cycle assessment to the case studies of new nitrogen fertiliser production

Authors: Tayeb Serradj; Ali Makhlouf; Monia Serradj Ali Ahmed

Addresses: Laboratoire de Métallurgie Physique et Propriétés des Matériaux, University of Badji Mokhtar, 23000 Annaba, Algeria ' Laboratoire de Métallurgie Physique et Propriétés des Matériaux, University of Badji Mokhtar, 23000 Annaba, Algeria ' Laboratoire de Métallurgie Physique et Propriétés des Matériaux, University of Badji Mokhtar, 23000 Annaba, Algeria

Abstract: The aim of this study is to use the LCA tool to investigate the energy balance and environmental impact of nitrogen fertiliser production using natural gas. The energy requirements and GHG emissions were compared with the values which one finds in the BAT to explore the environmental performance of the fertiliser integrated plant located in Algeria. Five impact categories were selected for the study. The system boundaries were defined for a 'cradle to gate' approach. The sulfazot, as new nitrogen fertiliser, comprises the upstream stages. The results showed that the production of a tonne of sulfazot requires 142 M³ of water and 95 MJ of natural gas. The natural gas combustion contributes with global warming by formation of greenhouse gases, which is about 12.29 T CO₂ equivalent/FU, and the cumulated energy requirement is 178.4 GJ/T of Sulfazot.

Keywords: nitrogen fertilisers; energy requirements; global warming; GHG emissions; greenhouse gases; environmental impact; life cycle assessment; LCA; Algeria; energy balance; fertiliser production; natural gas.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2016.077914

International Journal of Global Warming, 2016 Vol.10 No.1/2/3, pp.216 - 229

Received: 02 Sep 2014
Accepted: 29 Mar 2015
Published online: 22 Jul 2016 *

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