Originally Posted by
G4Z
"NITROGEN (FIXED)?AMMONIA
(Data in thousand metric tons of nitrogen, unless otherwise noted)
Domestic Production and Use: Ammonia was produced by 17 companies at 34 plants in the United States during
2003. Fifty-three percent of total U.S. ammonia production capacity was centered in Louisiana, Oklahoma, and
Texas because of their large reserves of natural gas, the dominant domestic feedstock. In 2003, U.S. producers
operated at about 59% of their rated capacity. The United States remained the world?s second largest ammonia
producer and consumer following China. Urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphates, nitric acid, and
ammonium sulfate were the major derivatives of ammonia in the United States, in descending order of importance.
Approximately 90% of apparent domestic ammonia consumption was for fertilizer use, including anhydrous ammonia
for direct application, urea, ammonium nitrates, ammonium phosphates, and other nitrogen compounds. Ammonia
also was used to produce plastics, synthetic fibers and resins, explosives, and numerous other chemical compounds."
U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2004