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Published 17th January 2007

Haifa Chemicals Ltd. recycling a pollutant into a raw material

Haifa Chemicals Ltd. (Haifa), a leading manufacturer of specialty fertilizers, (notably, potassium nitrate) is currently installing a device to markedly reduce NOx effluents from its four nitrate-producing plants, at an expenditure of app. $US 900,000. The unique advantage of this system is that it is not only environment-friendly, by reducing the NOx effluents by a factor of 3.3, but it also turns them into nitric acid, enhancing thereby, the production efficiency of the plants.

Haifa’s Technical V.P., Eng. Ami Alexandron reported that “The unique method developed by Haifa engineers was recently considered and recommended by EU authorities as a Best Available Technique (BAT) for the fertilizer industry. This innovation puts Haifa in the cutting edge of environment- protecting chemical plants.”

Mr. Avi D. Pelossof, Haifa’s Chairman of the Board and C.E.O., stated that by doing so Haifa became the first Israeli chemical manufacturer complying with the new international gas effluents restriction standard (TA LUFT 2002), that had been adopted by the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection. This puts Haifa in front of many European chemical plants. “Installing this system is only one step in a series, implemented recently by Haifa, aimed to reduce effluents and protect the environment, at an expenditure of over $US 1.6 million. We will carry on investing money and efforts to promote environmental issues”, concluded Mr. Pelossof.