With reference to chemical fertilizers in India

With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements:

  1. At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the Government.
  2. Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
  3. Sulphur, which is a raw material for Phosphoric acid fertilizer, is a by-product of oil refineries.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 2 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B

Explanation

The Government of India subsidizes fertilizers to ensure that fertilizers are easily available to farmers and the country remains self-sufficient in agriculture. The same has been achieved largely by controlling the price of fertilizer and the amount of production. The urea is being provided to the farmers at a statutorily notified Maximum Retail Price (MRP). Under the NBS Policy, the Government announces a fixed rate of subsidy (in Rs. per Kg basis), on each nutrient of subsidized fertilizers, namely Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), Potash (K) and Sulphur (S), on annual basis. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

Synthetic ammonia (NH3) refers to ammonia that has been synthesized (Standard Industrial Classification 2873) from natural gas. Natural gas molecules are reduced to carbon and hydrogen. The hydrogen is then purified and reacted with nitrogen to produce ammonia. Approximately 75 percent of the ammonia produced is used as fertilizer, either directly as ammonia or indirectly after synthesis as urea, ammonium nitrate, and mono-ammonium or diammonium phosphates. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Sulphur is a major by-product of oil refining and gas processing. Most crude oil grades contain some sulphur, most of which must be removed during the refining process to meet strict sulphur content limits in refined products. This is typically done through hydrotreating and results in production of H2S gas, which is converted into elemental sulphur in the sulphur recovery unit.

The resultant elemental sulphur is in a molten state and can either be sold as a heated liquid or (more commonly) converted to solid form as blocks or pellets. Most of the sulphur produced by refineries is sold into the petrochemicals market where it is used to make sulfuric acid. Commercial phosphoric acid is produced by applying an excess of sulphuric acid to ground rock phosphate. This phosphoric acid is usually applied to an additional amount of phosphate rock to make concentrated superphosphate. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

  • Exam Year: 2020