Revisão sobre mistura de fertilizantes, geração e alternativas de minimização de finos.

Abstract

Fertilizers play a fundamental role in agriculture in Brazil, as they supply the nutrients needed by plants when soil availability is not sufficient, besides increasing agricultural productivity. However, the country depends on fertilizer imports, because the internal demand is greater than the national production. It is important to highlight that besides fertilizer industries, there are blenders in Brazil, many of them being regional, as is the case of a unit located in the southwest of the state of Goiás. The company in question formulates fertilizer blends that are suitable for each type of soil and crop, according to the required specifications. However, the blending process, differences in physicochemical quality requirements, and fertilizer storage conditions are factors that influence the generation of fines in the blender. In view of the above, this work presents a bibliographic review of techniques to minimize the content of fine particles, highlighting the quality requirements of granulated fertilizers and their specifications, and demonstrating the perspectives of a chemical engineer in this area. As results obtained in this study, it is evident the variety of techniques that can be used to minimize the content of fines, among them the spouted bed, the granulation by compacting, and the coating of particles using a polymeric agent.