Swiss engineering and technology group Casale has agreed to build a 660 t/d nitric acid plant for Borsodchem in Hungary.

The plant at Kazincbarcika will produce 68% strength acid using Casale’s NA2000 dual-pressure process, the same technology used in Borsodchem’s first and identical unit, which has been in operation on the site since 2012.

Under the terms of the contract, Casale will provide the license, basic engineering, a review of detailed engineering and site assistance to the project.

The NA2000 technology was originally developed by Grande Paroisse, which Casale acquired from Borealis in 2014 along with a package of nitrates and phosphates fertilizer processes.

Casale is also providing a nitric acid plant to Smartchem Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of India’s Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals.

Under a contract announced last December, Casale will build a 900 t/d nitric acid plant based on the NA2000 process and a 1,143 t/d ammonium nitrate (AN) solution plant based on its AN2000 pipe reactor technology.

In addition, the Lugano-based group will supply a prilling unit capable of producing either 970 t/d of high-density AN based on Casale technology, or the same volume of low density AN using newly acquired technology from Australian mining company Orica.