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56-571: Potash is produced worldwide in amounts exceeding 71.9 million tonnes (~45.4 million tonnes K 2 O equivalent) per year as of 2021, with Canada being the largest producer, mostly for use in fertilizer . Various kinds of fertilizer-potash constitute the single greatest industrial use of the element potassium in the world. Potassium was first derived in 1807 by electrolysis of caustic potash ( potassium hydroxide ). Potash refers to potassium compounds and potassium-bearing materials, most commonly potassium carbonate. The word "potash" originates from

112-743: A catalyst for synthetic rubber manufacturing. Also combined with silica sand to produce potassium silicate , sometimes known as waterglass , for use in paints and arc welding electrodes. These non-fertilizer uses have accounted for about 15% of annual potash consumption in the United States. No substitutes exist for potassium as an essential plant nutrient and as an essential nutritional requirement for animals and humans. Manure and glauconite (greensand) are low-potassium-content sources that can be profitably transported only short distances to crop fields. Tonne The tonne ( / t ʌ n / or / t ɒ n / ; symbol:  t )

168-658: A ton typically refers to a short ton of 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) and to a lesser extent to a long ton of 2,240 lb (1,016 kg), with the term tonne rarely used in speech or writing. Both terms are acceptable in Canadian English . Ton and tonne are both derived from a Germanic word in general use in the North Sea area since the Middle Ages (cf. Old English and Old Frisian tunne , Old High German and Medieval Latin tunna , German and French tonne ) to designate

224-401: A factor in the growing potash and fertilizer use. With more money in the household budget, consumers added more meat and dairy products to their diets. This shift in eating patterns required more acres to be planted, more fertilizer to be applied and more animals to be fed—all requiring more potash. After years of trending upward, fertilizer use slowed in 2008. The worldwide economic downturn is

280-512: A large cask, or tun . A full tun, standing about a metre high, could easily weigh a tonne. See also the common German word de:Mülltonne (literal translation: garbage drum ). The spelling tonne pre-dates the introduction of the SI in 1960; it has been used with this meaning in France since 1842, when there were no metric prefixes for multiples of 10 and above, and is now used as the standard spelling for

336-576: A major producer. The Permian Basin deposit includes the major mines outside of Carlsbad , New Mexico, to the world's purest potash deposit in Lea County, New Mexico (near the Carlsbad deposits), which is believed to be roughly 80% pure. ( Osceola County, Michigan , has deposits 90+% pure; the only mine there was converted to salt production, however.) Canada is the largest producer, followed by Russia and Belarus. The most significant reserve of Canada's potash

392-420: A more complex structure than softwoods and are often much slower growing as a result. The dominant feature separating "hardwoods" from softwoods is the presence of pores, or vessels . The vessels may show considerable variation in size, shape of perforation plates (simple, scalariform, reticulate, foraminate), and structure of cell wall, such as spiral thickenings. As the name suggests, the wood from these trees

448-473: A naturally occurring mixture of potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium chloride (NaCl), more commonly known as table salt . Over time, as the surface of the earth changed, these deposits were covered by thousands of feet of earth. Potash (especially potassium carbonate) has been used in bleaching textiles, making glass , ceramic, and making soap , since the Bronze Age . Potash was principally obtained by leaching

504-560: A study conducted between 1977 and 1987 of cardiovascular disease among potash workers, the overall mortality rates were low, but a noticeable difference in above-ground workers was documented. Potassium is the third major plant and crop nutrient after nitrogen and phosphorus . It has been used since antiquity as a soil fertilizer (about 90% of current use). Fertilizer use is the main driver behind potash consumption, especially for its use in fertilizing crops that contribute to high-protein diets. As of at least 2010, more than 95% of potash

560-521: Is caustic and hygroscopic . At the beginning of 2008, potash prices started a meteoric climb from less than US$ 200 a tonne to a high of US$ 875 in February 2009. These subsequently dropped dramatically to an April 2010 low of US$ 310 level, before recovering in 2011–12, and relapsing again in 2013. For reference, prices in November 2011 were about US$ 470 per tonne, but as of May 2013 were stable at US$ 393. After

616-418: Is a unit of mass equal to 1,000  kilograms . It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI . It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United States customary units ) and the long ton ( British imperial units ). It is equivalent to approximately 2,204.6 pounds , 1.102 short tons, and 0.984 long tons. The official SI unit

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672-445: Is an established spelling alternative to metric ton . In the United States and United Kingdom, tonne is usually pronounced the same as ton ( / t ʌ n / ), but the final "e" can also be pronounced, i.e. " tunnie " ( / ˈ t ʌ n i / ). In Australia, the common and recommended pronunciation is / t ɒ n / . In the United States, metric ton is the name for this unit used and recommended by NIST; an unqualified mention of

728-450: Is due to the variety of characteristics apparent in different timbers, including density, grain, pore size, growth and fibre pattern, flexibility and ability to be steam bent. For example, the interlocked grain of elm wood ( Ulmus spp.) makes it suitable for the making of chair seats where the driving in of legs and other components can cause splitting in other woods. There is a correlation between density and calories/volume. This makes

784-529: Is from gymnosperm trees). Hardwoods are produced by angiosperm trees that reproduce by flowers, and have broad leaves. Many species are deciduous. Those of temperate regions lose their leaves every autumn as temperatures fall and are dormant in the winter, but those of tropical regions may shed their leaves in response to seasonal or sporadic periods of drought. Hardwood from deciduous species, such as oak, normally shows annual growth rings , but these may be absent in some tropical hardwoods . Hardwoods have

840-554: Is generally harder than that of softwoods, but there are significant exceptions. In both groups there is an enormous variation in actual wood hardness, with the range in density in hardwoods completely including that of softwoods; some hardwoods ( e.g. , balsa ) are softer than most softwoods, while yew is an example of a hard softwood. The structural polymers of hardwoods are cellulose , hemicellulose , and lignin . The constituents of hardwood lignin differs from those included in softwood. Sinapyl alcohol and coniferyl alcohol are

896-438: Is little need to distinguish between metric and other tons, and the unit is spelled either as ton or tonne with the relevant prefix attached. A metric ton unit (mtu) can mean 10 kg (22 lb) within metal trading, particularly within the United States. It traditionally referred to a metric ton of ore containing 1% (i.e. 10 kg) of metal. The following excerpt from a mining geology textbook describes its usage in

952-412: Is located in the province of Saskatchewan and is mined by The Mosaic Company , Nutrien and K+S . In China , most potash deposits are concentrated in the deserts and salt flats of the endorheic basins of its western provinces, particularly Qinghai . Geological expeditions discovered the reserves in the 1950s but commercial exploitation lagged until Deng Xiaoping 's Reform and Opening Up Policy in

1008-683: Is mined for use in agricultural purposes. Elemental potassium does not occur in nature because it reacts violently with water. As part of various compounds, potassium makes up about 2.6% of the Earth's crust by mass and is the seventh most abundant element, similar in abundance to sodium at approximately 1.8% of the crust. Potash is important for agriculture because it improves water retention, yield, nutrient value, taste, color, texture and disease resistance of food crops. It has wide application to fruit and vegetables, rice, wheat and other grains, sugar, corn, soybeans, palm oil and cotton, all of which benefit from

1064-600: Is particularly suitable for surface mining. It was explored in the 1960s but the works stopped due to flooding in 1967. Attempts to continue mining in the 1990s were halted by the Eritrean–Ethiopian War and have not resumed as of 2009. All commercial potash deposits come originally from evaporite deposits and are often buried deep below the earth's surface. Potash ores are typically rich in potassium chloride (KCl), sodium chloride (NaCl) and other salts and clays, and are typically obtained by conventional shaft mining with

1120-453: Is rich in phenolic compounds, such as stilbenes , lignans , norlignans, tannins , flavonoids . Hardwoods are employed in a large range of applications, including fuel , tools , construction , boat building , furniture making, musical instruments , flooring , cooking , barrels , and manufacture of charcoal . Solid hardwood joinery tends to be expensive compared to softwood. In the past, tropical hardwoods were easily available, but

1176-424: Is significant, and use of other letter combinations can lead to ambiguity. For example, T, MT, mT, are the SI symbols for the tesla , megatesla, and millitesla, respectively, while Mt and mt are SI-compatible symbols for the megatonne (one teragram) and millitonne (one kilogram). If describing TNT equivalent units of energy, one megatonne of TNT is equivalent to approximately 4.184 petajoules . In English, tonne

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1232-499: Is skimmed for the amine + KCl, which is then dried and packaged for use as a K rich fertilizer—KCl dissolves readily in water and is available quickly for plant nutrition . Recovery of potassium fertilizer salts from sea water has been studied in India . During extraction of salt from seawater by evaporation, potassium salts get concentrated in bittern , an effluent from the salt industry. Potash deposits are distributed unevenly throughout

1288-400: Is the joule . One tonne of TNT is approximately equivalent to 4.2 gigajoules. In the petroleum industry the tonne of oil equivalent (toe) is a unit of energy : the amount of energy released by burning one tonne of crude oil , approximately 42 GJ. There are several slightly different definitions. This is ten times as much as a tonne of TNT because atmospheric oxygen is used. Like

1344-496: Is the megagram ( Mg ), a less common way to express the same amount. The BIPM symbol for the tonne is t, adopted at the same time as the unit in 1879. Its use is also official for the metric ton in the United States, having been adopted by the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It is a symbol, not an abbreviation, and should not be followed by a period . Use of lower case

1400-481: Is the mass of one cubic metre of pure water at 4 °C (39 °F). As a non-SI unit, the use of SI metric prefixes with the tonne does not fall within the SI standard. For multiples of the tonne, it is more usual to speak of thousands or millions of tonnes. Kilotonne, megatonne, and gigatonne are more usually used for the energy of nuclear explosions and other events in equivalent mass of TNT , often loosely as approximate figures. When used in this context, there

1456-466: Is used as a proxy for energy, usually of explosions (TNT is a common high explosive ). Prefixes are used: kiloton(ne), megaton(ne), gigaton(ne), especially for expressing nuclear weapon yield , based on a specific combustion energy of TNT of about 4.2  MJ / kg (or one thermochemical calorie per milligram ). Hence, 1 t TNT = approx. 4.2  GJ , 1 kt TNT = approx. 4.2  TJ , 1 Mt TNT = approx. 4.2  PJ . The SI unit of energy

1512-402: Is used for industrial water treatment and is the precursor of potassium carbonate, several forms of potassium phosphate, many other potassic chemicals, and soap manufacturing. Potassium carbonate is used to produce animal feed supplements, cement , fire extinguishers , food products, photographic chemicals , and textiles. It is also used in brewing beer , pharmaceutical preparations, and as

1568-546: The Belarusian Potash Company . The latter was a joint venture between Belaruskali and Uralkali , but on July 30, 2013, Uralkali announced that it had ended the venture. Potash is water soluble and transporting it requires special transportation infrastructure. Excessive respiratory disease due to environmental hazards, such as radon and asbestos , has been a concern for potash miners throughout history. Potash miners are liable to develop silicosis . Based on

1624-772: The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance countries. After the dissolution of the USSR , Russian and Belarusian potash producers entered into direct competition with producers elsewhere in the world for the first time. In the beginning of the 20th century, potash deposits were found in the Dallol Depression in the Musely and Crescent localities near the Ethiopean- Eritrean border. The estimated reserves in Musely and Crescent are 173 and 12 million tonnes respectively. The latter

1680-586: The Middle Dutch potaschen , denoting "pot ashes" in 1477. The old method of making potassium carbonate ( K 2 CO 3 ) was by collecting or producing wood ash (the occupation of ash burners ), leaching the ashes, and then evaporating the resulting solution in large iron pots, which left a white residue denominated "pot ash". Approximately 10% by weight of common wood ash can be recovered as potash. Later, "potash" became widely applied to naturally occurring minerals that contained potassium salts and

1736-697: The gram and the kilogram, the tonne gave rise to a (now obsolete) force unit of the same name, the tonne-force, equivalent to about 9.8 kilonewtons . The unit is also often called simply "tonne" or "metric ton" without identifying it as a unit of force. In contrast to the tonne as a mass unit, the tonne-force is not accepted for use with SI. Hardwood Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests . In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous , but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen . Hardwood (which comes from angiosperm trees) contrasts with softwood (which

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1792-520: The 1980s. The 1989 opening of the Qinghai Potash Fertilizer Factory in the remote Qarhan Playa increased China's production of potassium chloride sixfold, from less than 40,000 t (39,000 long tons; 44,000 short tons) a year at Haixi and Tanggu to just under 240,000 t (240,000 long tons; 260,000 short tons) a year. In 2013, almost 70% of potash production was controlled by Canpotex , an exporting and marketing firm, and

1848-515: The Baltic to Archangelsk , Russia. In 1700, Russian ash was dominant though Gdańsk remained notable for the quality of its potash. On the Orkney islands, kelp ash provided potash and soda ash , production starting "possibly as early as 1719" and lasting for a century. The products were "eagerly sought after by the glass and soap industries of the time." By the 18th century, higher quality American potash

1904-629: The ashes of land plants. Beginning in the 14th century potash was mined in Ethiopia . One of the world's largest deposits, 140 to 150 million tons, is located in the Dallol area of the Afar Region . Potash was one of the most important industrial chemicals. It was refined from the ashes of broadleaved trees and produced primarily in the forested areas of Europe, Russia , and North America . Although methods for producing artificial alkalis were invented in

1960-667: The cartel ended as new potash producers emerged in the USSR and Canada. In 1943, potash was discovered in Saskatchewan , Canada, during oil drilling. Active exploration began in 1951. In 1958, the Potash Company of America became the first potash producer in Canada with the commissioning of an underground potash mine at Patience Lake . As numerous potash producers in Canada developed, the Saskatchewan government became increasingly involved in

2016-412: The commercial product derived from them. The following table lists a number of potassium compounds that have "potash" in their traditional names: Most of the world reserves of potassium (K) were deposited as sea water in ancient inland oceans . After the water evaporated, the potassium salts crystallized into beds of potash ore. These are the locations where potash is being mined today. The deposits are

2072-521: The country. The first US patent of any kind was issued in 1790 to Samuel Hopkins for an improvement "in the making of Pot ash and Pearl ash by a new Apparatus and Process". Pearl ash was a purer quality made by calcination of potash in a reverberatory furnace or kiln. Potash pits were once used in England to produce potash that was used in making soap for the preparation of wool for yarn production. After about 1820, New York replaced New England as

2128-496: The evaporation method, hot water is injected into the potash, which is dissolved and then pumped to the surface where it is concentrated by solar induced evaporation. Amine reagents are then added to either the mined or evaporated solutions. The amine coats the KCl but not NaCl. Air bubbles cling to the amine + KCl and float it to the surface while the NaCl and clay sink to the bottom. The surface

2184-559: The extracted ore ground into a powder. Most potash mines today are deep shaft mines as much as 4,400 feet (1,400 m) underground. Others are mined as strip mines, having been laid down in horizontal layers as sedimentary rock . In above-ground processing plants, the KCl is separated from the mixture to produce a high-analysis potassium fertilizer. Other potassium salts can be separated by various procedures, resulting in potassium sulfate and potassium-magnesium sulfate. Other methods include dissolution mining and evaporation methods from brines. In

2240-545: The hardwood significantly differs from the softwood, and mainly consists of triterpenoids , polyprenols and other higher terpenes. Triterpenoids commonly purified from hardwoods include cycloartenol , betulin and squalene . Hardwood polyterpenes are rubber , gutta percha , gutta-balatá and betulaprenols. Although in small quantities, hardwoods also contain mono- , sesqui- and diterpenes , such as α- and β-pinenes , 3-carene , β-myrcene , limonene , hinokitiol , δ-cadinene , α- and δ-cadinols , borneol . Hardwood

2296-573: The industry, leading to the creation of Canpotex in the 1970s. In 1964 the Canadian company Kalium Chemicals established the first potash mine using the solution process. The discovery was made during oil reserve exploration. The mine was developed near Regina, Saskatchewan. The mine reached depths greater than 1500 meters. It is now the Mosaic Corporation's Belle Plaine unit. The USSR's potash production had largely been for domestic use and use in

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2352-449: The late 18th century, these did not become economical until the late 19th century and so the dependence on organic sources of potash remained. Potash became an important international trade commodity in Europe from at least the early 14th century. It is estimated that European imports of potash required 6 or more million cubic metres each year from the early 17th century. Between 1420 and 1620,

2408-452: The late 19th century when large-scale production of potash from mineral salts was established in Germany . In the early 20th century, the potash industry was dominated by a cartel in which Germany had the dominant role. WWI saw a brief resurgence of American asheries, with their product typically consisting of 66% hydroxide, 17% carbonate, 16% sulfate and other impurities. Later in the century,

2464-558: The main monomers of hardwood lignin. Hardwoods contain less amount of non-structural constituents, named extractives , than softwoods. These extractives are usually categorized into three broad groups: aliphatic compounds , terpenes and phenolic compounds . Aliphatic compounds found in hardwoods include fatty acids , fatty alcohols and their esters with glycerol , fatty alcohols (waxes) and sterols (steryl esters), hydrocarbons , such as alkanes , sterols , such as sitosterol , sitostanol and campesterol . The terpene content of

2520-513: The metric mass measurement in most English -speaking countries. In the United States, the unit was originally referred to using the French words millier or tonneau , but these terms are now obsolete. The British imperial and United States customary units are comparable to the tonne and the spelling of ton in English is the same, though they differ in mass. One tonne is equivalent to: A tonne

2576-514: The most important source; by 1840 the center was in Ohio. Potash production was always a by-product industry, following from the need to clear land for agriculture . From 1767, potash from wood ashes was exported from Canada. By 1811, 70% of the total 19.6 million lbs of potash imports to Britain came from Canada. Exports of potash and pearl ash reached 43,958 barrels in 1865. There were 519 asheries in operation in 1871. The wood-ash industry declined in

2632-570: The nutrient's quality-enhancing properties. Demand for food and animal feed has been on the rise since 2000. The United States Department of Agriculture 's Economic Research Service (ERS) attributes the trend to average annual population increases of 75 million people around the world. Geographically, economic growth in Asia and Latin America greatly contributed to the increased use of potash-based fertilizer. Rising incomes in developing countries also were

2688-482: The particular case of tungsten: Tungsten concentrates are usually traded in metric tonne units (originally designating one tonne of ore containing 1% of WO 3 , today used to measure WO 3 quantities in 10 kg units. One metric tonne unit (mtu) of tungsten (VI) contains 7.93 kilograms of tungsten. In the case of uranium , MTU is sometimes used in the sense of metric ton of uranium (1,000 kg [2,200 lb]). The tonne of trinitrotoluene (TNT)

2744-448: The primary exporting cities for wood-derived potash were Gdańsk , Königsberg and Riga . In the late 15th century, London was the lead importer due to its position as the centre of soft soap making while the Dutch dominated as suppliers and consumers in the 16th century. From the 1640s, geopolitical disruptions (i.e. Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) ) meant that the centres of export moved from

2800-484: The primary reason for the declining fertilizer use, dropping prices, and mounting inventories. The world's largest consumers of potash are China, the United States, Brazil, and India. Brazil imports 90% of the potash it needs. Potash consumption for fertilizers is expected to increase to about 37.8 million tonnes by 2022. Potash imports and exports are often reported in K 2 O equivalent , although fertilizer never contains potassium oxide, per se, because potassium oxide

2856-481: The rate of 60 to 100 bushels per acre (500 to 900 m/km). In 1790, the sale of ashes could generate $ 3.25 to $ 6.25 per acre ($ 800 to $ 1,500/km) in rural New York State – nearly the same rate as hiring a laborer to clear the same area. Potash making became a major industry in British North America. Great Britain was always the most important market. The American potash industry followed the woodsman's ax across

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2912-438: The short-run and even in the long run. In addition to its use as a fertilizer, potassium chloride is important in many industrialized economies, where it is used in aluminium recycling , by the chloralkali industry to produce potassium hydroxide, in metal electroplating , oil-well drilling fluid , snow and ice melting, steel heat-treating, in medicine as a treatment for hypokalemia , and water softening . Potassium hydroxide

2968-550: The supply of some species, such as Burma teak and mahogany , is now becoming scarce due to over-exploitation. Cheaper "hardwood" doors, for instance, now consist of a thin veneer bonded to a core of softwood, plywood or medium-density fibreboard (MDF). Hardwoods may be used in a variety of objects, but are most frequently seen in furniture or musical instruments because of their density which adds to durability, appearance, and performance. Different species of hardwood lend themselves to different end uses or construction processes. This

3024-447: The surprise breakup of the world's largest potash cartel at the end of July 2013, potash prices were poised to drop some 20 percent. At the end of December 2015, potash traded for US$ 295 a tonne. In April 2016 its price was US$ 269. In May 2017, prices had stabilised at around US$ 216 a tonne down 18% from the previous year. By January 2018, prices have been recovering to around US$ 225 a tonne. World potash demand tends to be price inelastic in

3080-529: The world. As of 2015, deposits are being mined in Canada, Russia, China, Belarus, Israel, Germany, Chile, the United States, Jordan, Spain, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Brazil, with the most significant deposits present under the great depths of the Prairie Evaporite Formation in Saskatchewan , Canada. Canada and Russia are the countries where the bulk of potash is produced; Belarus is also

3136-603: Was increasingly exported to Britain. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, potash production provided settlers in North America badly needed cash and credit as they cleared wooded land for crops. To make full use of their land, settlers needed to dispose of excess wood. The easiest way to accomplish this was to burn any wood not needed for fuel or construction. Ashes from hardwood trees could then be used to make lye , which could either be used to make soap or boiled down to produce valuable potash. Hardwood could generate ashes at

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