Publishable summary: This report focuses on the installation and construction of an innovative process for the production of KNO3 in a very integrated IS environment. The works referred to in this deliverable have been carried out after the design and engineering of the KNO3 Demo Plant at QSr site in Escomberas (Cartagena, Spain). This process will make possible to demonstrate the production of potassium nitrate (essential fertilizer for fertigation and main component of salts for thermal energy storage in renewable energy projects) in Europe, where its production is difficult due to high costs and high environmental implications, despite having the necessary raw materials, mainly KCl mineral, from local mining (Catalonia region). This project Demo plant will demonstrate that the production of KNO3 in Europe is possible following all environmental criteria, in an Industrial Symbiosis, producing valuable by-products, using raw and auxiliary materials from the area, reducing energy consumption and consequently reducing CO2 emissions. Also, an important wastewater problem will be resolved that affects other companies in the cluster where the factory is located.
The aforementioned works began with the presentation of the project to the local and regional Authorities, the request for permits, the carrying out of environmental studies and studies on the impact of the area. Next, and once the designs of the different sections of the plant were completed, safety studies (Hazop) were carried out in all the units related to the project. Next step was to prepare the selected area for the installation of the plant. To do that, and due to the shortage of free space in the nitrate salt production area of the QSr facility, some pieces of equipment had to be removed or translated, among them the most important one was a large calciner drum. After removal of the mentioned equipment, the area and the existing structure have been prepared to the construction of the new structure and the installation of new equipment, instrumentation, machinery, valves, etc.
In parallel, all necessary works of supplier requests for equipment, instrumentation, machinery, valves, electrical components, etc, have been done, the proposals have been tabulated and decided the best suppliers.
At the time of issuing this draft, permits, ground and structure preparation and purchase of most of the equipment have been done. Fabrication, commissioning and final star-up of the plant will be done in the upcoming months and an update of this deliverable will be provided.