Fertilizer how is it made

Nitrosamines have been shown to cause tumors in laboratory animals, feeding the fear that the same could happen in humans. There has, however, been no study that shows a link between fertilizer use and human tumors. Fertilizer research is currently focusing on reducing the harnful environmental impacts of fertilizer use and finding new, less expensive sources of fertilizers. Such things that are being investigated to make fertilizers more environmentally friendly are improved methods of application, supplying fertilizer in a form which is less susceptible to runoff, and making more concentrated mixtures.

New sources of fertilizers are also being investigated. It has been found that sewage sludge contains many of the nutrients that are needed for a good fertilizer. Unfortunately, it also contains certain substances such as lead, cadmium, and mercury in concentrations which would be harmful to plants.

Efforts are underway to remove the unwanted elements, making this material a viable fertilizer. Another source that is being developed is manures.

The first fertilizers were manures, however, they are not utilized on a large scale because their handling has proven too expensive. When technology improves and costs are reduced, this material will be a viable new fertilizer. Rao, N. IBH, Stocchi, E. Industrial Chemistry. Ellis Horwood, Lowrison, George. Fertilizer Technology. John Wiley and Sons, Kirschner, Elisabeth. Toggle navigation. Made How Volume 3 Fertilizer Fertilizer. Periodicals Kirschner, Elisabeth.

Other articles you might like:. Also read article about Fertilizer from Wikipedia. User Contributions: 1. I thought that some fertilizer was made that contained pesticides. There is no mention of this in your article about "Fertilizer". Thanks for your information. Thank you very much for this website. It helped me a lot with my school science assignment.

This article will help me a lot for my school science fair project! It's really interesting! Several chemical processes can be used to convert the potash rock into plant food, including potassium chloride, sulphate and nitrate. How fertilizers are made? This entry is filed under Fertilizer and tagged petroleum-based fertilizer. October 31, at pm. Robert Pavlis says:. Jesse says:. May 27, at pm. June 5, at pm.

Nicky E says:. May 1, at am. Randy West says:. April 21, at pm. Lee Reich says:. April 21, at am. Mark Monroe says:. Gillian Lewis says:. April 20, at pm. Karin says:. Joni A. Solis says:. April 30, at pm. Don Engebretson says:. Jeane says:. Leo R Buis says:. Subscribe to this Blog Join 3, other subscribers. Should You Prune Suckers on Tomatoes? Inorganic fertilizers contain a range of naturally-occurring elements that plants need to survive.

Obtaining these raw materials and making them into forms that people can apply to crops often requires mining and various chemical processes. Before using fertilizers, it is important to understand the ingredients they comprise. Being informed about the chemicals that make up fertilizers can help you to use them effectively and responsibly. The exact ingredients and the proportions of each of them vary between different types of fertilizer. The three main components all fertilizer mixture have, though, are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

These products also contain clay based fillers and free flowing agents which helps in spreading the fertilizer and preventing it from hardening. The contents of fertilizers are described using the N-P-K formula, in which N is nitrogen, P is phosphorous, and K is potassium.

In describing the contents of a bag of fertilizer, each symbol will be replaced by a number, such as, for example, The rest is filler and other, minor elements. Nitrogen is critical to the growth of the plant. It is a component of many plant structures and enables various processes required for plant health.

Plants that get adequate amounts of nitrogen will be a darker green color and grow faster than those that do not. When plants are deficient in nitrogen, their leaves yellow. Although nitrogen is present in the air, plants cannot absorb it from the atmosphere and must instead get it from the soil. Nitrogen promotes foliage and stem growth. It is a central component of amino acids, which are the fundamental elements of proteins. These proteins are critical to plant growth as well as the development of tissues and cells.

Nitrogen is also part of the nucleic acid that forms DNA, which stores genetic information and is responsible for passing on traits and characteristics through seeds. It is also a component of chlorophyll, which provides plants with their green color and enables growth. Because nitrogen is an element of proteins, DNA, and chlorophyll, it plays a role in the majority of vital plant processes. Phosphorous is essential to various plant processes including photosynthesis, the conversion of sunlight into energy.

It is also responsible for moving energy throughout a plant and for respiration. It is a component of plants' nucleic acid structures, which control the synthesis of proteins. Because of this, phosphorous is significant for the development of new tissue and in cell division.

This element also aids in the production of fruit and flowers and the development of seeds and roots. It improves resistance to diseases, supports winter hardiness, and can help a plant grow faster. Potassium is known for its impact on the quality of plants. It affects the size, color, taste, and shape of produce. Potassium's effect is also crucial for tolerance to drought and other harsh weather as well as stress.

It also plays an integral role in various plant processes. Potassium does the following:. The other nutrients found in fertilizers fall into two categories: secondary nutrients and micronutrients. Most plants need smaller amounts of secondary nutrients than they do macronutrients, and they require micronutrients in even smaller quantities still. Although plants need less of these nutrients, they still perform vital roles. Micronutrients together support various aspects of plant growth and contribute to increasing yields, improving structural integrity, and producing vitamins.

You may find the following micronutrients in fertilizers:. The fillers in fertilizers are inactive ingredients and do not affect the plant. They do, however, reduce the concentration of the nutrients so that they do not burn the plants, prevent the nutrients from clumping and drying, and make the mixture easier to spread. Typical filler materials include sand, granular limestone, sawdust, sterile or clean dirt, and ground corn cobs. Different crops need varying amounts of the 17 nutrients to thrive, so farmers often use fertilizers formulated especially for the kind of plants they are growing.

They typically conduct soil tests to determine which nutrient levels they need to increase. These findings can influence the chemical proportions that someone uses. Fertilizers can also be either synthesized or organic. Synthesized fertilizers come in various forms, namely granular and liquid form.