Wallaces Farmer ● November 2006
Anhydrous additive
deters drug makers
By ROD SWOBODA
F
ARMERS are joining the
fight against methamphetamine. This fall, a
chemical compound that will
prevent meth makers from
using anhydrous ammonia as a
raw material to produce the illegal drug is being added to the
widely used nitrogen fertilizer.
Federal and state officials
made the announcement at a
press conference Oct. 9 on the
steps of the Iowa State Capitol
in Des Moines. The event took
place in front of an anhydrous
ammonia fertilizer nurse tank
bearing a “Stop meth!” sign.
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack explained that two Iowa State
University chemistry professors have discovered a way to
make anhydrous ammonia fertilizer useless as an ingredient
for meth. All it takes is some
calcium nitrate — a common
fertilizer compound — added
to the anhydrous and the yield
of meth drops from 42% down
to 2% or less.
Vilsack hailed the discovery
as a way to make Iowa’s communities safer. “The message
today to anyone interested in
making meth is simply ‘Don’t
bother,’ ” said Vilsack. “This
will reduce to zero the meth
that is cooked in Iowa.”
Marvin Van Haaften, director
of the Governor’s Office of Drug
Control Policy, says calcium nitrate can be added to each of
the 26,000 nurse tanks used in
Iowa to apply anhydrous. The
discovery of this inhibitor has
national and international implications because of the widespread use of meth.
They said it
“This is a
voluntary
program. We
encourage fertilizer dealers
to either lock
tanks or use
the additive;
both are effective deterrents.”
Marvin Van Haaften,
Governor’s Office of Drug
Control Policy
“Using the
calcium nitrate is a big
step to help
cope with
the meth
problem. We
are sending a message to
meth makers everywhere.”
Dave Coppess,
Heartland Co-op
HEROES: Hailing the chemists’ discovery as “a big advancement in the war against meth,” Tom Harkin
(right) and Gov. Tom Vilsack (left) called professors George Kraus and John Verkade to the podium.
Kraus said they tested “dozens and dozens” of compounds before finding one that worked.
Key Points
■ Chemical added to anhydrous
foils makers of illicit drug.
■ Government leaders hail this
as major breakthrough.
■ The additive will not corrode
equipment, scientists say.
“We’ve been contacted by
drug enforcement officials in
other states and Canada who
want to use the additive,” says
Van Haaften.
Today, 90% of the meth used
in Iowa is imported from other
states or Mexico, but the inhibitor will be a serious barrier
for Iowa-based meth makers.
“There is no silver bullet to totally eliminate meth, but this
additive will help get us closer,”
says Van Haaften.
Proven in Iowa tests
Anhydrous ammonia is used
in one of two primary meth
production methods and is
the method of choice in states
where anhydrous is used as fertilizer. In Iowa this year, 93% of
the 259 meth labs discovered
by law enforcement have been
the anhydrous type.
Calcium nitrate when used
as a meth inhibitor has proven
effective in field tests at three
Iowa sites, says Dave Coppess,
vice president of Heartland Coop, headquartered in West Des
Moines. Coppess, chairman
of the National Ag Retailers
Association and a leader in
the Agribusiness Association
of Iowa, says fertilizer dealers
welcome the new tool in the
battle against meth.
“In each case where we’ve
tested it at fertilizer dealerships
where nurse tanks are parked,
the meth cooks have abandoned the treated anhydrous
ammonia,” says Coppess. “The
word spread quickly among
thieves who break into tanks to
steal ammonia. They realized it
isn’t worth it to steal from the
tanks we left unlocked because
those tanks had the compound
in them.”
Locks have been installed
on many tanks in Iowa, but
they still have been broken into
by meth makers. Coppess says
the lock program has been voluntary and has helped deter
thefts. Likewise, it’ll be up to
fertilizer dealers to voluntarily
choose whether to use the additive or not.
Adding calcium nitrate to
anhydrous ammonia at a rate
of 9 gallons a ton costs about
$1 to $1.50 an acre. It will be difficult to get the meth inhibitor
added to all anhydrous tanks
in Iowa this fall, but it can be
done by next spring.
Safety is big factor
For years, meth cooks have
been stealing anhydrous from
fertilizer dealerships and from
nurse tanks parked in fields.
Anhydrous ammonia is a hazardous material and, when
tanks are broken into, it poses
a danger not only to the thieves
but also to communities.
Thieves often can’t get the
tanks shut off or they break a
valve and a toxic and potentially lethal ammonia cloud
develops. Recently, in eastern
Iowa, 63 head of cattle died as
Fertilizer additive discovery took teamwork
I
OWA State University chemistry professors George Kraus and John Verkade walked up the west
steps of the Iowa Statehouse Oct. 9 to a round of applause. After testing many compounds, they
discovered a chemical that can be added to anhydrous ammonia rendering the fertilizer useless in
the dangerous and illegal manufacture of methamphetamine.
The ISU chemists worked with their graduate students and with John Whipple of the Iowa
Department of Agriculture to find a chemical additive that would be effective and environmentally
benign. Calcium nitrate, which is another form of fertilizer, fits both requirements.
The discovery was made four years ago and has since been undergoing rounds of testing by
the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S.
Department of Transportation.
Gov. Tom Vilsack and other Iowa leaders thanked Congress for funding the project that led to
the discovery and helped pay for testing that has now been successfully completed. The research
and testing took six years, using $1.2 million secured by U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin and Charles
Grassley. Harkin also credited U.S. Reps. Leonard Boswell and Steve King for their work in securing the money.
9
Boost effect
of tank locks
C
ALCIUM nitrate can be
added to anhydrous
ammonia tanks by fertilizer
dealers voluntarily. Iowa officials estimate treating all the
state’s 26,000 nurse tanks
twice a year would cost ag
retailers about $1.2 million
annually.
Iowa has had a program
for several years encouraging fertilizer dealers to buy
locks for valves on their anhydrous tanks. It’s voluntary
and not all tanks have locks,
but many do. The locks
have successfully reduced
anhydrous theft, but thieves
sometimes break the locks,
so the calcium nitrate additive is needed, too.
“This additive is another
tool and will be very effective,” says Marvin Van
Haaften, director of the
state’s office of drug control.
“We’ve decided to keep this
additive program voluntary.
Now agribusiness can either
use the additive or the locks;
both methods are effective.”
Van Haaften is also a
farmer. “I apply anhydrous
on about 150 acres of corn
each year,” he says. “It’s a
good source of nitrogen. We
want to keep it available. I
don’t want to see anhydrous
banned or taken away from
us because of scares or
concerns caused by meth
makers. The word is out to
the meth cooks. The tanks
are marked.”
a nearby tank was left leaking
by thieves in the night.
“Fertilizer dealers are very
concerned about public safety,”
says Coppess. “We see safety
as a real benefit to adding calcium nitrate to stop thefts of
anhydrous ammonia.
“Also, this will save us
money. When thieves break
into our facilities, it costs us
in lost product and higher insurance premiums, and we
have to repair the tanks, valves
and other equipment the thief
damages. Our cost to clean up
after a theft break-in is always
there.”
To inject calcium nitrate into
nurse tanks dealers can use the
same equipment they use to
add N-Serve to anhydrous ammonia. You don’t have to use
N-Serve for calcium nitrate to
work. “Calcium nitrate can be
put into any nurse tank,” says
Coppess. “In tests, we’ve had
no problems with equipment
corrosion and no agronomic or
environmental issues.”
Farmers won’t see any difference in the anhydrous.
However, one thing to keep in
mind, Coppress says, is that
when injected into a nurse
tank, calcium nitrate reduces
the N content of anhydrous
ammonia to about 79% from a
normal 82% N content.