Important Compounds and Uses

Important Compounds and Uses Around the turn of the millennium, the total annual output of the world s potash industry including potassium sulfates and potassium products for industrial uses amounted to 30 million tons of K2O. Capital investment in the Soviet Union and Canada and the rapidly increasing use of fertilizers in agriculture in the 1960s and 1970s led to a steep increase in world potash production. Since 1980, the average annual increase in world potash production has been only 0.7%. 

Almost two-thirds of the world potash production output are exported. All the potash-producing countries except Brazil and China are exporters. Canada is by far the largest exporter (in total, 17 million tons of K2O were exported annually). The estimated world demand for potash fertilizers in the 1990-1991 business year was 26 million tons of K2O, with some 95% of the total potash production being used as fertilizers. The total output of products of the potash industry exceeds requirements by about 1.5 million tons of K2O. 

Industrial-grade and chemical-grade potassium chloride are used mainly for the electrolytic production of potassium hydroxide. Other important uses include the production of drilling fluids for the oil industry, aluminum smelting, metal plating, production of various potassium compounds, and appli- 

---

Sources, Production, Important Compounds and Uses, Waste Products, and Recycling... 

---