Ah, our old friend the nitrogen atom, this time in one of its more destructive roles. See also Haber und Bosch, Nobel, Birkeland and a cast of disembodied millions.
From Bloomberg, March 26:
Russia is scheduled to receive deliveries of chemical ingredients critical to the manufacture of explosives, ordered from fertilizer companies that have largely escaped international sanctions, according to documents seen by Bloomberg.
Tens of thousands of tons of nitric acid and a nitric-sulphuric-acid mix have been ordered for entities and plants controlled by JSC Spetskhimiya, one of Russia’s biggest makers of explosives, the documents show. The contracts are one way in which the country maintains its military strength despite rigorous economic restrictions.
The orders for the Spetskhimiya-controlled facilities were placed with subsidiaries of fertilizer producers EuroChem Group AG and UralChem JSC, the documents show. The acid types are key components of TNT, gunpowder and other propellants vital to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Yet EuroChem and UralChem have so far avoided the toughest of US and European sanctions aimed at hampering the country’s military effort, as the fertilizers they sell are critical to farming and global food supplies.
Many of the 11 factories named in the documents as due to receive the acids this year have been sanctioned by Ukraine’s allies for contributing to Russia’s war efforts. The plants also provide explosives for civilian use and Bloomberg is unable to verify how much of their current operations focus on non-military purposes.
The planning documents, which include order-reference numbers, suggest the acid supplies have been confirmed and will be delivered over the course of the year.
EuroChem “is an important part of global food security,” the firm said in emailed comments. “Our products are intended for use in agriculture and civil industry. The company is not part of the defense sector of the Russian economy.”....
....MUCH MORE
Related 2021 (obviously thinking of delicious baked goods):
What's Cookin' In Zug: Fertilizer Major EuroChem Is Planning An IPO
