1. Type: Potassium Sulphate
2. CAS No.: K2SO4
3. EINECS No.: 231-915-5
4. Melting Point:1069 Degree
5. Boiling Point:1689 Degree

Potassium Sulfate is a source of highly soluble potassium and has the additional benefit of supplying sulfur. It is used in agricultural production systems where potassium is a limiting nutrient and also as a substitute for potassium chloride on chloride-sensitive crops.

Physical Properties:
Colorless or white, odourless, hard, bitter crystals, or white granules or powder. The aqueous solution is neutral (Merck 2002).

How Made:
Potassium sulfate is refined from naturally occurring mineral salt deposits or by chemical synthesis. Naturally occurring potassium deposits, referred to indiscriminately as “potash”, are usually the source of one or more ingredients of synthetic production. The deposits are found as a conglomeration of potassium chloride (muriate of potash, KCl, or MOP), potassium sulfate (sulfate of potash, or SOP), and potassium nitrate (nitrate of potash, KNO3, or NOP). Deposits are predominantly mined, while some are obtained through solar evaporation of natural brines from saline lake beds. Potassium chloride is the most abundant mineral found in deposits. Individual potassium salts and any impurities are separated through physical dissolution processes.

Functionality:
Potassium sulfate is commonly used as a specialty fertilizer on crops that are sensitive to soil chloride levels, such as potatoes, lettuce, tobacco, avocados, peaches, and legumes. It is also used in cases where chloride build up may be problematic. Mined and synthesized potassium sulfate are identical, and thus are functionally interchangeable. Worldwide, almost all technical grade potassium sulfate production (>99%) is used in agriculture. The remaining SOP is used in a wide range of industrial uses and for manufacturing potassium alum, potassium carbonate, and glass (Horn 2000).

Potassium comprises 2.4 percent of the earth’s crust, and it is present in large quantities in most soils, ranging between 0.5 and 2.5 percent. Like all mineral nutrients, the amount of plant-available potassium present is dependent on biochemical reactions in the soil. Plant available soil K is derived from additions of soluble K, and from weathering of soil parent material. Soils vary widely in their ability to replenish solution K+ depending on the age of the soil, fixation of K+ by soil particles, and the degree of leaching. The rate of weathering of potassium-bearing soil minerals is driven by K removal through crop uptake and leaching. K bound to the parent material is referred to as non-exchangeable or mineral K, and release of this K is generally too slow to meet crop requirements, hence the need for K adjuvants. Soil texture also exerts a strong influence on K+ availability. The potential for replenishment of solution K+ is extremely small in sandy soils where the cation exchange capacity (CEC) is due mainly to organic matter. Crops grown on sandy or highly weathered soils may experience K deficiency symptoms after a few years of cropping.

 

PermuTrade LLC is a physical commodities trading company that operates directly with end buyers & producers in the energy, metals, construction, and agriculture markets. The company was established on May 23rd 2003 with its head office out of West Palm Beach Florida USA.

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