Ammonium phosphate fertilizer solids derived from anhydrous liquid phosphoric acid

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PREPARING A HARD, GRANULAR AND NONHYGROSCOPIC FERTILIZER COMPRISING AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE FROM AMMONIA, WET,PROCESS PHOSPHORIC ACID AND AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL PLANT NUTRIENT SOLID SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF UREA, AMMONIUM NITRATE, AMMONIUM SULFATE, SUPERPHOSPHATE, TRIPLE SUPERPHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, AND GYPSUM WHICH COMPRISES: (1) CONCENTRATING SAID WET-PROCESS PHOSPHORIC ACID UNTIL ITS PHOSPHORUS CONTENT IS BETWEEN ABOUT 68.6 AND ABOUT 80 WEIGHT PERCENT EXPRESSED AS P2O5 ON AN IMPURITY FREE BASIS AND UNTIL THE ACYCLIC POLYPHOSPHORIC ACID CONTENT OF SAID ACID COMPRISES BETWEEN ABOUT 1.0 AND 80 WEIGHT PRECENT OF THE TOTAL PHOSPHORUS IN SAID ACID; (2) INTRODUCING SAID CONCENTRATED WET-PROCESS PHOSPHORIC ACID ONTO A BED OF SOLIDS COMPRISING SAID AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE AND SAID ADDITIONAL PLANT NUTRIENT SOLID MAINTAINED IN A NEUTRALIZATION ZONE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 70* AND 225*C.; (3) INTRODUCING SAID ADDITIONAL PLANT NUTRIENT SOLID INTO SAID NEUTRALIZATION ZONE TO ADMIX WITH SAID ACID; (4) INTRODUCING AMMONIA INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SOLIDS AND WET-PROCESS PHOSPHORIC ACID IN SAID NEUTRALIZATION ZONE IN A QUANTITY SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE AT LEAST 0.14 PART NITROGEN PER PART OF PHOSPHORUS IN SAID CONCENTRATED WET-PROCESS PHOSPHORIC ACID; (5) WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF SAID SOLIDS IN SAID NEUTRALIZATION ZONE, SEPARATING SAID WITHDRAWN PORTION INTO A FIRST FRACTION AND A SECOND FRACTION, REMOVING SAID FIRST FRACTION OF THE WITHDRAWN PORTION AS SAID HARD NON-HYGROSCOPIC FERTILIZER COMPRISING AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE AND SAID ADDITIONAL PLANT NUTRIENT; AND (6) RETURNING SAID SECOND FRACTON OF THE WITHDRAWN PORTION AS RECYCLE TO SAID NEUTRALIZATION ZONE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PREPARING A HARD, GRANULAR AND NONHYGROSCOPIC FERTILIZER COMPRISING AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE FROM AMMONIA, WET,PROCESS PHOSPHORIC ACID AND AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL PLANT NUTRIENT SOLID SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF UREA, AMMONIUM NITRATE, AMMONIUM SULFATE, SUPERPHOSPHATE, TRIPLE SUPERPHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, AND GYPSUM WHICH COMPRISES: (1) CONCENTRATING SAID WET-PROCESS PHOSPHORIC ACID UNTIL ITS PHOSPHORUS CONTENT IS BETWEEN ABOUT 68.6 AND ABOUT 80 WEIGHT PERCENT EXPRESSED AS P2O5 ON AN IMPURITY FREE BASIS AND UNTIL THE ACYCLIC POLYPHOSPHORIC ACID CONTENT OF SAID ACID COMPRISES BETWEEN ABOUT 1.0 AND 80 WEIGHT PRECENT OF THE TOTAL PHOSPHORUS IN SAID ACID; (2) INTRODUCING SAID CONCENTRATED WET-PROCESS PHOSPHORIC ACID ONTO A BED OF SOLIDS COMPRISING SAID AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE AND SAID ADDITIONAL PLANT NUTRIENT SOLID MAINTAINED IN A NEUTRALIZATION ZONE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 70* AND 225*C.; (3) INTRODUCING SAID ADDITIONAL PLANT NUTRIENT SOLID INTO SAID NEUTRALIZATION ZONE TO ADMIX WITH SAID ACID; (4) INTRODUCING AMMONIA INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SOLIDS AND WET-PROCESS PHOSPHORIC ACID IN SAID NEUTRALIZATION ZONE IN A QUANTITY SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE AT LEAST 0.14 PART NITROGEN PER PART OF PHOSPHORUS IN SAID CONCENTRATED WET-PROCESS PHOSPHORIC ACID; (5) WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF SAID SOLIDS IN SAID NEUTRALIZATION ZONE, SEPARATING SAID WITHDRAWN PORTION INTO A FIRST FRACTION AND A SECOND FRACTION, REMOVING SAID FIRST FRACTION OF THE WITHDRAWN PORTION AS SAID HARD NON-HYGROSCOPIC FERTILIZER COMPRISING AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE AND SAID ADDITIONAL PLANT NUTRIENT; AND (6) RETURNING SAID SECOND FRACTON OF THE WITHDRAWN PORTION AS RECYCLE TO SAID NEUTRALIZATION ZONE.