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Plants require nutrients to grow, which they acquire through their root systems. Fertilisers give plants the significant nutrients they need nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other key secondary elements. The soil’s productive capacity decreases with each harvest unless the nutrients are replaced. Fertilisers improve the soil’s natural fertility or replenish chemical ingredients depleted by subsequent crops. When other conditions like light, moisture, soil structure, and temperature are favourable, soil fertility refers to the ability of a soil to deliver chemicals at appropriate levels and proper balance to encourage plant development.
Artificial Fertilisers
The three most critical components in plant nutrition, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, are included in modern chemical fertilisers. Sulphur, magnesium, and calcium rank next in the essential criteria.
Synthetic ammonia is the most common source of nitrogen fertilisers; this chemical compound (NH3) is used as a gas or in a liquid solution, or it is transformed into salts like ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium phosphate. Still, it can also be found in packinghouse wastes, treated garbage, sewage, and manure. Urea is among the most concentrated nitrogen fertilisers available because of its high nitrogen content and ease of conversion to ammonia in the soil.
Calcium phosphate, obtained from phosphate rock or bones, is phosphorus fertiliser. Preparation of calcium phosphate with sulfuric and phosphoric acids yields more solubility superphosphate and triple superphosphate formulations, respectively.
Potash deposits provide potassium fertilisers, including potassium chloride and potassium sulphate. Mostly, potassium compounds manufactured commercially are utilised as fertilisers in agriculture.
Types of Artificial Fertilisers
Nitrogenous Fertilisers
Nitrogen is represented by the letter “N” on commercial chemical fertilisers. Nitrogen is required for plant growth and development as proteins, DNA, and enzymes. Anhydrous ammonium is synthesised by combining N2 and H2 using the Haber-Bosch method, which necessitates intense heat and pressure to produce most nitrogen chemical fertilisers.
Nitrate fertilisers include nitrogen in the form of nitrate, which most plants favour because it is easily soluble in water and immediately accessible to plants. These are leached down/converted to gaseous form and accessible to plants under damp and soggy environments.
Ammoniacal fertilisers also comprise nitrogen in an ammoniacal form that is resistant to percolating and may thus be utilised in wet situations. Although easily soluble in water, these fertilisers do not reach plants as rapidly as nitrate fertilisers. Because converting NH4 to NO3 takes time, it’s best for slow-growing, long-duration crops.
Diammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, calcium cyanamide, calcium nitrate, and sodium nitrate are other nitrogen sources used in chemical fertilisers. Lawn fertilisers that are heavy in nitrogen are often utilised because they generate lush green grass.
Challenges
Finding the proper mix of pressure and temperature to boost the kinetics of the nitrogen and hydrogen reactions to the desired ammonia conversion is one of the most difficult tasks.
Phosphate Fertilisers
Phosphate, a phosphorus-containing substance, and the anhydrous form of phosphoric acid are represented by the letter “P” on commercial chemical fertilisers labels. Phosphorus, like nitrogen, is a structural constituent of DNA and also plays a function in energy storage and conversion in soil.
Phosphate rock, a mined resource, is used to make this category of fertilisers. Phosphate concentration is converted to either single superphosphate (SSP) or phosphoric acid when it is treated with sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Monoammonium phosphate (MAP) or diammonium phosphate (DAP) are produced when this acid is combined with ammonia (DAP).
Challenges
Phosphates, or phosphoric acid salts, can be combined with ammonia to produce a variety of fertiliser compounds. The corrosive conditions developed during production are among the most challenging aspects of the thermal process.
Potassic Fertilisers
Potash, a potassium molecule necessary for numerous chemical processes in plants, is represented by the “K” on commercial chemical fertilisers. Potassium chloride and potassium sulphate, commonly known as muriate and sulphate of potash, and potassium nitrate and potassium-magnesium sulphate, are synthetically generated forms of potassium found in chemical fertilisers.
Potash rock, a mixture of potassium carbonate and potassium salts, is another mined resource used to make this fertiliser. Concentrating potash and processing it to form a potassium chloride solution are the first steps in producing potassium fertilisers.
When this solution is combined with nitric acid, it produces muriate of potash (MOP), potassium nitrate (KN), and sulphate of potash (SOP). Potassium-based fertilisers, like phosphorus-based fertilisers, encourage the growth of robust stems and root networks in developing plants and flora production, which can boost fruit and vegetable harvests.
Challenges
Maintaining correct temperature and pressure profiles for system performance is one of the most challenging tasks in manufacturing. Controlling water flow is also crucial since it assures product purity and grain size. Fertiliser manufacturers are stepping up their efforts to enhance efficiency to become a safer, more dependable, and environmentally responsible business.
Conclusion
In traditional agricultural systems, chemical fertilisers have been frequently employed to maximise yield. To boost agricultural yields, more chemical fertilisers are being employed. Chemical fertilisers that exceed a certain threshold level, on the other hand, harm water bodies and accumulate in agricultural plants.
