Pardis Petrochemical Company in the southern Bushehr Province exported $1.3 billion worth of products in the last fiscal year (September 2021-22) and supplied about $400 million worth of goods to the domestic market, managing director of the company said.
“Despite gas feedstock restrictions in the cold season, Pardis Petrochemical Company operated at over 97% of its nameplate production capacity during the period,” Gholamreza Jamshidi was also quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news agency Shana.
The total sales of the company increased by 119% compared with the same period of the previous year.
Located in Pars Special Economic and Energy Zone in the city of Asalouyeh, 270 km southeast of Bushehr Port, Pardis Petrochemical Company has one of the largest urea and ammonia plants in the Middle East, producing 3.2 million tons of urea and 2.04 million tons of ammonia annually.
The domestic consumption of the plant’s urea amounts to 700,000 tons, while 2.5 million tons are exported to European and Latin American countries, including Argentina and Brazil.
Urea and ammonia form the building block of many products, including plastic, textiles, pesticides, fertilizer and resin products.
Urea is widely used in Iran and the world as a nitrogen supply for a group of plants, including wheat, barley, sunflower and sugarbeet.
Iran is self-sufficient in urea production. In two years, urea production is expected to reach 15 million tons per annum from 7.5 million tons now with the launch of several new plants.
Ammonia is used mainly in the production of fertilizers and chemicals like ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, mono ammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate and urea.
The country plans to add 8.5 million tons per year to its ammonia output by 2026 with 20 new plants.
Development Projects
Referring to the development plans of Pardis Petrochemical Company, Jamshidi said, “Two projects are on the agenda. One is called "Hemmat", which is a very valuable project that can increase the annual urea production capacity by 1 million tons.”
The project entails the collection of carbon dioxide in the region which, together with ammonia, will also produce urea.
Ammonia and CO2 react exothermically to produce the carbamate salt, which is then heated to form urea.
In addition to raising the output, the project has environmental advantages and reduces hazardous emission.
Another development project is using anti-caking agents in the production of urea, he added.
Anti-caking agents are ingredients added in small amounts to foods, cosmetics and petrochemicals to prevent products from clumping and binding together.
The use of anti-caking agents in the production urea will also help increase the shelf life of the product without changing its physicochemical properties and provide an environmentally friendly condition.
Rising Demand
Urea is the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer in the world, accounting for some 62% of global demand for this key nutrient. Over 170 million tons of urea are produced and consumed annually.
The global urea market is projected to grow from $129.52 billion in 2022 to $150.61 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 2.2% in the forecast period. The growing agriculture sector is driving the global urea market growth.
Urea and its derivatives are widely used as fertilizers in many markets, including North America, Brazil and India.
Urea also acts as a vital feedstock in the production of adhesives, resins and plastic. Thus, the growth of the markets of these products significantly supports the growth of the urea market.
The product is also being increasingly used in automobiles due to the changing regulations regarding the use of nitrogen oxide in diesel engines, which is further propelling the urea market.
Urea is also used abundantly to produce urea-formaldehyde resins, melamine, diesel exhaust fluids and livestock feed, and their growing demand is supporting market growth.
