The plant is located just three kilometres from the Newcastle central business district and its 52m prill tower has been a feature of the town skyline for decades.

When the Lower Hunter Particle Characterisation Study identified the facility as a contributor to fine particulate matter, Orica made assurances that it would address the issue in line with community and regulatory expectations. Jord is proud to partner with Orica to deliver on that commitment.

Our task is to remove particulates and improve air quality from exhaust gas that is emitted from the ammonium nitrate prill tower. We will be using irrigated fibre-bed scrubbing (IFS) technology and the scope of work involves retro-fitting a scrubber system to the tower, including:

– a stainless steel scrubber vessel which contains the filtration medium;

– a scrubber fan with variable speed drive incorporating a high voltage transformer; and

– a stainless steel self-supporting exhaust stack.

Installation of the new pollution control technology is guaranteed to reduce particle emissions by up to 95 percent.