Eureka Urea! The ultimate crop find for farmers Urea is a key ingredient in crop fertilisers, and most of the urea used for this purpose is facto- ry-made, allowing for large-scale production and precise quality control. But out of the estimated two million tonnes of urea Australia uses each year, only a quarter is manufactured locally, with the rest imported from China, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, there are plans to
change this. With a budget of $6 billion, industri- al chemical producer Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers are in the midst of building what will be Australia’s largest urea plant in Western Austral- ia. Aiming to produce 2.3 million tonnes of urea each year, the facility will be a secure, high quality source for Australian farmers. The truth about AdBlue Contrary to popular belief, diesel exhaust fluid AdBlue is not made from urine. Rather, it is made from a combination of urea and deionised water. AdBlue is added to diesel engines to reduce nitro- gen oxide emissions (NOx) which in turn, helps meet environmental regulations for cleaner air. Injecting the fluid into the exhaust system creates a chemical reaction which reduces production of NOx. This is hugely beneficial for the environment – so much so that it is illegal to run large diesel ve- hicles without AdBlue – and also for the vehicles themselves, preventing potentially severe dam- age to the exhaust system. Since China – the world’s largest producer of urea – decided to slow down exports, Australia’s biggest producer of urea, Incitec Pivot, has had urea production on overdrive, running 24 hours seven days a week to meet Australia’s needs. In early 2022, the company set a weekly distri- bution record of just over 3 million litres across Australia.
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
Urea is a common organic chemical compound that is typically used for agriculture fertilisers, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), and in various industrial applications. Following China’s export ban in 2021, there has been a world- wide shortage of urea – and as Aus- tralia imports around 80% of the urea we use from China, our nation has been hit particularly hard. The good news? Australia has plans to increase local manufacturing of urea, includ- ing a colossal $6 billion domestic pro- ject that will assert our position in a competitive global market.
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