G07: Sciences Chemistry: Fertilizers

During World War II the United States government built factories to convert huge amounts of nitrogen from the air into nitrogen compounds for explosives. After the war the output of these factories became available to produce fertilizers. For the first time nitrogen fertilizer became inexpensive enough to be used in large quantities, and farmers found it profitable to do so. By 1985 American farmers were using approximately 11 million tons of nitrogen a year in this way, about eight times the amount they used in 1950.

The Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone, also called a dead zone, is an area with little to no oxygen. This area can be deadly to fish and other marine life. It's primarily caused by an excess of agricultural nutrients that flow into the Gulf from farmland runoff and livestock waste. When these nutrients wash into the water, they cause algae to grow rapidly. This overgrowth blocks sunlight and consumes oxygen that marine animals and organisms need to survive.

Agricultural, or farming, methods have intensified continuously since the 18th century. The Industrial Revolution brought new equipment and farming methods that increased food production. In the mid-20th century, scientists discovered ways to produce stronger crops that produce more food, which increased crop harvests even further.

Nitric acid is another popular commercial compound of nitrogen. A colourless, highly corrosive liquid, it is much used in the production of fertilizers, dyes, drugs, and explosives. Urea (CH4N2O) is the most common source of nitrogen in fertilizers. Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), a salt of ammonia and nitric acid, is also used as a nitrogenous component of artificial fertilizers and, combined with fuel oil, as an explosive (ANFO).

Another salt, made by the action of phosphoric acid on phosphate rock, is superphosphate, a common type of fertilizer.

Potassium compounds have many commercial uses. Potassium chloride (KCl) is used in preparing other potassium compounds and in fertilizers.
Potassium nitrate (KNO3), also known as niter or saltpeter, has wide use as a fertilizer and in fireworks and explosives.
Applications for potassium sulfate (K2SO4) include use as a laxative and in the production of fertilizer, rubber, and potassium carbonate. Potassium cyanide (KCN) is a poison used in some insecticides and is a source for the fumigant hydrogen cyanide.

By Type (Urea, Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN), Ammonium Nitrate, Ammonium Sulphate, Ammonia, Other Nitrogenous Fertilizers), By Application (Cereals & Grains, Oilseeds & Pulses, Fruits & Vegetables), By Form (Liquid, Dry), By Treatment (Soil, Foliar, Fertigation), COVID-19 Impact And Recovery