Our Year 12 Chemistry students recently embarked on an exciting visit to Orica Kooragang Island near Newcastle. Kooragang Island plays a vital role in the New South Wales economy, supplying essential products like ammonium nitrate, ammonia, nitric acid, and carbon dioxide to various sectors including mining, infrastructure, agriculture, water supply, food, dairy, and medical industries. The facility boasts an ammonia plant, three nitric acid plants, two ammonium nitrate plants, and a product dispatch facility.
As part of Orica’s community outreach program, our students had the incredible opportunity to meet with engineers and operations staff. They discussed the general operations of the plant and discovered how the chemistry they learn in class is applied on such a massive scale.
During the visit, students toured the plant, including the ammonium manufacturing area, the nitric acid area, and the control centre. They even stood on solid ammonium nitrate piles in one of the holding areas, learning about the storage and safety measures involved in running such a facility.
Orica, a major employer across various sectors such as engineering, chemical manufacturing, finance, IT, and business solutions, provided our Year 12 Chemistry students with a chance to ask questions that could shape their future careers. It was a unique and unforgettable experience for all involved.
