Sulphur fertilizers

Agricultural fertilization with sulphur is not a new concept - at the research level at least, sulphur has long been recognised as an essential plant nutrient. However because the complex role of sulphur - in soils, in plant material and in interaction with other essential element cycles - has never been fully understood, sulphur fertilizers have been used mainly on an empirical basis. As a result, sulphur fertilization has shown somewhat erratic performance Measured sulphur deficiency in soils has not always been correlated with poor crop yield and, as a corollary, sulphur fertilization of sulphur deficient soils has not always improved poor crop yields. Thus it has been difficult to routinely demonstrate an economic benefit to the farmer. 

This work will greatly enhance the reliability and effectiveness of sulphur fertilization and greatly improve the efficiency of agricultural food production. In light of present and forecasted world food needs, this will be a significant accomplishment. ... 

Luo, C., Branlard, G., Griffin, W.B., McNeil, D.L. 2000. The effect of nitrogen and sulphur fertilization and their interaction with genotype on wheat glutenins and quality parameters. J Cereal Sci 31 185-194. 

Drum and belt drying and solidification systems are discussed below. This equipment is capable of forming granular products directly from fluid pastes and melts, without intermediate preforms, by drying or solidification on solid surfaces. Drum and belt systems offer an alternative to the dispersion methods (such as the prilling of sulphur, fertilizers and resins and the spray granulation of clays) described in Chapter 7. 

Pasricha, N. S., Nayyar, V. K., Randhawa, N. S., and Sinha, M. K. (1977). Influence of sulphur fertilization on suppression of molybdenum uptake by berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) and oats (Avena sativa L.) grown on a molybdenum-toxic soil. Plant Soil 46 245-50. 

This market groups Potassium, Phosphorous, and Sulphur fertilizers... 

J. M. Lancaster, "New Developments and Growth in Wodd Fertilizer Demand, Supply and Trade," British Sulphur Corporation, Ltd., Fertilizer Latin American International Conference, Caracas, Venezuela, Apr. 1989. 

Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) Alkylation reactions inorganic pigments., caprolactam, copper leaching, detergents, explosives, fertilizers, textiles... 

EEC Directive amending Directive 76/116/EEC m respect of the calcium, magnesium, sodium and sulphur content of fertilizers... 

Ammonium sulphate is increasingly produced by reaction of synthetic ammonia with sulphuric acid from the process for production of caprolactam and via a method using gypsum. Ammonium sulphate is also used as a fertilizer. 

He ZL, Wu J, O Donnell AG, Syers JK (1997) Seasonal responses in microbial biomass carbon, phosphorus and sulphur in soils under pasture. Biol Fertil Soils 24 421 128... 

Sulphuric acid is the largest volume chemical in the world with an annual production of about 180 mill, t/year which is used primarily for phosphate fertilizers, petroleum alkylation, copper ore leaching and in smaller quantities for a number of other purposes (pulp and paper, other acids, aluminium, titanium dioxide, plastics, synthetic fibres, dyestuffs, sulphonation etc.). The major sulphur sources for sulphuric acid production are sulphur recovered from hydrocarbon processing in the refineries and from desulphurisation of natural gas, SO2 from metallurgical smelter operations, spent alkylation acid, and to a minor extent mined elemental sulphur and pyrites. A simplified flow sheet of a modem double-absorption plant for sulphuric acid production from sulphur is shown in Fig. 1. 

Sulphuric acid Used in the production of sulphates as an acidic oxidizer used as a dehydrating and purifying agent used for the neutralization of alkaline solutions used as a catalyst in organic synthesis used in the manufacture of fertilizers, explosives, dyestuffs, paper used as a component of drain and metal cleaners, antirust compounds and automobile battery fluids. 

The second reason for acid-digestion is the determination of the total soil elemental content of, e.g. potassium, phosphorus or trace elements. This is seldom done for potassium in normal soil samples, mainly because the total K in soils is of no value as an index to the availability of K to plants, nor is it always of value in tracing the movement or accumulation of applied fertilizer K (Pratt, 1965). The unreactive soil phosphorus is obtained by subtracting the naturally leached reactive phosphorus from the total phosphorus, and a method for determining the latter by extraction with sulphuric acid and potassium persulphate is cited by Turner and FHaygarth (2000). They analysed... 

Elemental sulphur from the final condensers flows to the sulphur pit where it is available in a molten state for shipment by truck transport or transfer to a storage block. Sulphur which is removed from site travels south to the Edmonton area. A significant portion is used for fertilizer production. 

In the leaching processes, large volumes of liquid have to be handled, and the mother liquors contain large amounts of salts in soln. much potassium chloride is rendered less useful since these liquors are boiled down and utilized in other ways— principally as fertilizers. The mother liquors also yield rubidium alum. The cost of the operation, small as it is, does not enable potassium sulphate to be prepared of a sufficient degree of purity to enable it to displace the potassium chloride and sulphuric acid process which can be made to yield almost the theoretical amount of sulphate. Consequently, most of the schonite—natural or artificial—is sold as a fertilizer. 

Normal ammonium sulphate is used in preparing ammonia and the ammonium salts it is used as a fertilizer it has been used in purifying sulphuric acid from nitrogen oxy-compounds in the fermentation industries and in making freezing mixtures. 

What products form when disubstituted sodium and ammonium-sodium orthophosphates are roasted What orthophosphates are used as fertilizers Compare the strength of the oxyacids of phosphorus, sulphur, and chlorine, and also of nitrogen and phosphorus. 

Kuwabara, M., Hayamizu, S., and Hatakeyama, A., Trends in Urea-Based Compound Fertilizer Technology, in Granular Fertilizers and Their Production, pp. 125-147, British Sulphur Corporation, London, England, 1977. 

Bixby, D. W., Beaton, J. D., Sulphur-Containing Fertilizers, Properties... 

Vinasse is an organic liquid fertilizer which is obtained as a byproduct in sugarbeet processing. It contains 3-5% nitrogen, 0.14-2.0% phosphate and 5.0-7.5% potassium, together with trace elements, vitamins and enzymes. Care should be taken when mixing with sulphur and copper in high concentrations. 

G. A. Crawford, S. Benzimra, Fertilizer 85 Conference (British Sulphur), London, Feb. 1985. 

E. Commandini, U. Zardi, Fertilizer Latin America, Int. Conf. British Sulphur, Caracas 1989. 

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