FERTILISERS
Safe, Efficient, and Precise Pumping of Organic Fertilisers
Innovative pump solution from NETZSCH reduces long-term maintenance costs
The corrosive nature of ingredients such as potassium hydroxide and phosphoric acid, which are contained in various fertilisers, poses significant challenges for plants worldwide. This was also the case for Maquienvas, a Spanish filling and packaging specialist, until it became aware of NETZSCH Pumps & Systems.
Are you facing a similar challenge to Maquienvas and need to pump corrosive media? We can show you how to reduce your maintenance costs and benefit from a NETZSCH pump solution.
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Challenges in dosing corrosive fertilisers
For more than 40 years, Maquienvas, based in Valencia, has specialised in machinery and equipment for the packaging industry. In addition to sealing machines, labelling systems and complete packaging lines, the product range also includes filling machines for various demanding fluids such as fertilisers. To meet the highest product standards and achieve maximum precision in product dosing, Maquienvas has been using electromagnetic flow controllers and mass flow controllers for many years. However, due to the corrosive nature of ingredients such as potassium hydroxide and phosphoric acid, which are found in many fertilisers, these devices quickly reached their limits. The properties of the medium led to rapid damage.
Complex requirements call for innovative dosing technology
The fact that the product tank had to be pressurised increased the risk of leaks and maintenance costs. As a result, specific components of the dosing system had to be replaced frequently, making overall maintenance costs relatively high. The different physical properties of the liquids, some of which contained organic particles up to one millimetre in size, made it even more challenging to maintain constant flow rates when dosing the fertilisers. Due to these difficulties, Maquienvas sought a more effective and efficient approach and turned to NETZSCH, the global specialist in handling complex media. Borja Tarin, Area Sales Manager at NETZSCH in Spain, and his team found the optimal solution to meet the challenges of pumping and dosing corrosive fertilisers.
Solution for precise dosing under demanding conditions
“For this application, we recommended PERIPRO® peristaltic pumps, because they are very reliable, compact, as well as easy to install and maintain”, explains Tarin. “They also allow for precise control of the flow rate – no matter the corrosive or organic nature of the fluids.” In 2023, Maquienvas installed the first two PERIPRO® C10/2.7 peristaltic pumps in its fertiliser dosing system. The resulting continuous flow enables high-precision dosing required by Maquienvas, even when the fertilisers being pumped contain solid particles. To prevent the degradation of organic components and possible foaming, the fluids are pumped at a constant speed of 37 revolutions per minute at a pressure of 0.5 bar, resulting in a flow rate of 1,941 litres per hour at 50 Hertz. Due to the design of the pump, the conveyed medium does not come into contact with internal components of the pump. “This minimises the risks of contamination and corrosion caused by chemicals such as potassium hydroxide and phosphoric acid”, adds Tarin. The EPDM hose, which is the only part coming into contact with the pumped medium, has already proven its durability. It did not need to be replaced in the first two years after installation. In addition, the PERIPRO® is particularly easy to maintain thanks to its innovative design.
To precisely control the flow rates in the dosing system, Maquienvas also installed an encoder between the flow reducer and the motor. In the repetitive dosing process, where a fixed product volume is dosed, the encoder divides each revolution into a specific number of pulses. Given the constant volumetric capacity per revolution, this ensures the exact amount of product is dispensed into each canister and bottle. With the PERIPRO® peristaltic pump, the Spanish company has found a robust and efficient solution for a very demanding application. Once again, NETZSCH has proven itself to be a reliable partner offering excellent service, technical expertise and support – in line with its Proven Excellence performance promise.
Would you also like to benefit from NETZSCH's innovative pump solutions? Our experts are on hand to offer you advice and assistance. We will work with you to find a pump optimally tailored to your requirements.
PERIPRO® hose pump chemical version
