Technical Nitrates

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The leading independent producer of Technical Nitrates - a unique supply capability

Yara's expertise is based on a knowledge of Ammonium Nitrate and Calcium Nitrate of over a century. Our factories in Europe and around the world manufacture Ammonium Nitrate and Calcium Nitrate. Yara also has a global logistics platform which enables supply around the world for civil works projects as well as mines and quarries.

Ammonium Nitrates (AN) and Calcium Nitrates (CN) are two Technical Nitrates. These are basic materials, essential to the manufacture of civil explosives. The mining, quarries and various sectors of civil engineering are users of explosives for civil use. Our technical sales team dedicated to Technical Nitrates can answer all questions relating to client needs.

Technical nitrates production: the different steps

  • Combine oxygen (from air) and ammonia to form nitric acid. This is done through a number of reactions (see brown boxes)
  • Combine the nitric acid and ammonia to form the ammonium nitrate solution (see green and yellow boxes below)
  • Concentrate the ammonium nitrate solution, and further process to form droplets of crystallized ammonium nitrate. These solidified droplets, referred to as prills are then dried and cooled to form the final product of TAN (see blue boxes below).
Ammonia diagram

A leading position in technical nitrates We bring expertise in logistics and supply of quality technical nitrates:

  • For your deliveries of ammonium nitrate around the world, Yara’s strength lies in its global dimension.
  • In addition, we have a logistics expertise. We ship more than 20 million tons of chemical nitrogen products and nitrates annually.
  • You can also count on our local presence in over 200 terminals and warehouses around the world for suppling safely. We handle: - The routes and the maritime supply chain - Technical nitrates safely - ammonium nitrate and calcium nitrate

Through our presence at each stage of the supply chain, we supply to you in time. We reliably cover your daily needs to produce or use civil explosives and we support you in your operations at your site.

Our production facilities that supply industries that manufacture civil explosives for civil, mining and public works are ISO certified. This is your guarantee to have high quality technical nitrates. Our wide range of technical nitrates is the key to maximizing the blast results and all processes that result from them. This comprehensive range includes:

  • AN-PP : For ANFO (Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil) and blends
  • AN-K : Ammonium Nitrate Crystalline for dynamite production
  • AN-E : Ammonium Nitrate for quality emulsion
  • AN-S : Ammonium Nitrate solution for production of emulsion explosives
  • CN-TQ : Calcium Nitrate

All these technical nitrates have specific properties adapted to different climates, also for, tropical or subtropical. They are a guarantee that high quality explosives with stable blasting features will be obtained. It is proven : the quality of technical nitrates you use can really make a difference!

Choose the right Ammonium Nitrate or Calcium Nitrate for your explosives and blasting operations and you will see an improvement in the productivity of your mine, your quarry or your public works building site. Our R&D team at our Research Centre in Porsgrunn in Norway is entirely committed to constantly develop the best applications for our clients, including more efficient and safe solutions for our customers in the civil explosives industry. This team maintains our cutting edge in chemical knowledge.