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ATEX Certified Equipment for Fertilizer Manufacturing Plants

Dust-filled NPK, MAP, and DAP plants live with a constant tension: you need dry product and high heat, yet the same dust and temperature can turn a tiny spark into a serious problem. 

In any area where fertilizer dust, vapors, or cleaning solvents can form a cloud, standard machinery is no longer enough. To qualify for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, the equipment has to be certified under ATEX and related schemes.

At Ceylan Machine & Process, we design complete lines and individual machines with these constraints in mind, from granulation drums and dryers to mills, sieves, and packing equipment.

For zones with ISO certification manufacturing, ATEX or IECEx classifications, we specify and integrate ATEX/IECEx-certified equipment and control packages that align with CE safety standards, and where required, UL and C-UL expectations for hazardous locations.

ATEX / IECEx Certified Equipment with Documentation to Match

Instead of treating certification as a sticker on the nameplate, we start with your zoning study and work backwards from there. The zoning study includes:

  • 20/21/22 areas inside bucket elevators
  • Transfer points
  • Dust collection circuits

ATEX and IECEx both define how the equipment is grouped and tested for these areas, including dust and gas atmospheres, temperature classes, and equipment categories.

Here’s how that translates into real projects for fertilizer manufacturers working under ISO certification manufacturing frameworks:

  • Correctly rated Ex components: Motors, sensors, junction boxes, and panels can be supplied as ATEX/IECEx certified equipment assemblies, selected for the right dust group and temperature class, and delivered with full type certificates and Ex marking copies for your files.
  • Designs aligned with UL and CE standards: For plants that ship products into both the European Union and North American markets, we design ATEX-certified equipment around UL and CE standards to meet the requirements on either side of the ocean.
  • Built-in compliance tools: Our control systems handle auto-calibration routines, audit-ready data historians, and recipe management with electronic signatures for GMP or ISO 9001 traceability, tools you need when auditors or certification teams go through your records.
  • Mechanical details that reduce ignition risk: In Ceylan Machine & Process’s ATEX-certified equipment design, we treat grounding studs, antistatic linings with hoppers, explosion-relief vents, and properly sized aspiration points as standard design work. They support the certified equipment and help keep real-world operating conditions inside the assumptions used in the risk assessment.
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At Ceylan Machine & Process, our engineering team works only on chemical granulated fertilizer equipment. Therefore, the same people who size your granulation line are the ones checking that the certified motors, sensors, and panels match your dust and temperature profiles.

Beyond using quality materials in our manufacturing, we also provide a one-year guarantee on machinery, and can also guarantee the capacity/production tonnage requirements for the ATEX/IECEx-certified equipment systems you get from us.

For those working under ISO certification manufacturing, our products will help you remain compliant while you reliably meet your customers’ needs. Fill out our form to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between ATEX Zone 20, Zone 21, and Zone 22 in a fertilizer plant?

Zone 20 is where a combustible dust cloud is present continuously or for long periods. Zone 21 is where it occurs occasionally during normal operation. Zone 22 is where it is unlikely, but may appear briefly. In fertilizer plants, bucket elevator interiors are typically Zone 20, while transfer points and dust collection circuits often fall into Zone 21 or 22.
The US equivalent is the NEC hazardous location classification system, with UL and CSA marks replacing ATEX designations. Ceylan Machine & Process dual-specifies equipment with both ATEX and UL or CSA marks from the start for projects serving both markets. This avoids costly motor replacements or control panel rewiring once equipment arrives at a North American facility.
Certification applies to individual components and assemblies, but safe operation depends on the entire system being correctly specified. Ceylan Machine & Process starts with the facility zoning study and works backwards to select motors, sensors, junction boxes, and panels with the correct dust group, temperature class, and equipment category for each specific zone in the plant.
Full type certificates and Ex marking copies are delivered with all ATEX or IECEx certified equipment assemblies. Control systems also include auto-calibration routines, audit-ready data historians, and recipe management with electronic signatures, supporting GMP and ISO 9001 traceability requirements when certification teams or regulatory auditors review plant records.
Dust caking onto a motor housing acts as insulation, raises the surface temperature, and can push the component above its certified temperature class, creating an ignition risk. Ceylan Machine & Process designs aspiration points and self-cleaning internal geometries to prevent material accumulation around sensors and motors, keeping hardware operating within its certified temperature limits.
ATEX is not the same as intrinsically safe. ATEX is an EU directive framework covering all equipment intended for use in explosive atmospheres, including mechanical and electrical machines. Intrinsically safe is one specific protection concept within ATEX, applied mainly to low-power electrical instruments that cannot release enough energy to ignite a surrounding atmosphere.