Materials Used to Make Mixed Fertilisers:

The following materials are required to make the mixed fertiliser:

(i) Straight fertilisers are the primary materials used for making the mixed
fertiliser. They supply the fertiliser element required in the proper amount to
the soil.

(ii) Some low grade organic materials are added @ 100 pounds per ton to the
mixed fertiliser in order to prevent caking, and to maintain them in a good
physical condition. These organic materials (peat, paddy husk etc.) are called
conditioners.

(iii) Some basic material like Dolomite is added to neutralize acidity if the
fertiliser mixture produces acids.

(iv) Some materials like finely ground ash, soil etc. are added to make up the
difference between the weight of the fertiliser necessary to supply the plant
nutrients and the desired quantity of fertiliser mixture.

Granulation techniques (https://www.slideshare.net/plsriram8/npk-fertilizers-types-

manufacturing-methods )
Rotary drum is the common equipment in
granulation plants
In addition to significant dust reduction and handling improvement, granulation allows for the
raw material to be recovered and the waste product to be transformed into marketable products.
Compared to the dry method, the wet process is not pressurized and basically applies tumbling
and rotation of material for agglomeration.

Among all equipment used in this operation, the preference is for disc pelletizers and rotary
drums. The definition depends on several variables. First of all, the physical-chemical
characteristics of raw materials. But three other attributes have to be considered are: Requested
granulation range, estimated recycling volume and plant production capacity. With this
information at hand, the fertilizer producers can start determining the appropriate equipment.

The disc pelletizer is recommended for plants with lower capacities because it is an open
machine and it is more difficult to control the particulate and vapor emission. It is also
appropriate for plants with less fouling products due to its greater cleaning difficulty. The rotary
drum on the other hand best applied in plants with high capacity and with a mandatory demand
for more stable production with regard to  granulation. This is a closed system, which means that
it allows a better pollution control and more flexibility for materials which are difficult to
granulate.
Granulation plant involves other
equipment besides the drum
The advantages of the rotary drum makes it the usual choice for fertilizer production through wet
processing. Besides the already mentioned attributes, it is also an equipment of easy construction
and operation. The highlight of the machine is the maintaining of cleanliness. The flexibility is
another favorable point because the drum facilitates the mixture of solids with the liquid phase.
This promotes a fast grain formation, independent of the raw material and the production
capacity of the equipment.

For those who plan to install or expand a plant, it is important to remember a few things: Besides
the rotary drums used as pelletizers, dryers, coolers and indurators, a typical granulation involves
the application of devices such as transporters, sieves, mills, bag filters, gas washers, hot gas
generators and a liquid effluent treatment system.

Various grades of NPK fertilizers

Currently, India produces a large number of grades of NP / NPK complex fertilizer. These
include 16–20–20, 20–20–0, 28–28–0, 15–15–15, 17–17–17, 19–19–19, 10–26–26, 12–32–16,
14–28–14, 14–35–14 and 19–19–19. In addition, India produces various grades of simple and
granulated mixtures.