C15.8 Making fertilisers in Industry

Question 1

What do crops need to be healthy?

Answer 1

Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Pottasium

Question 2

What are the sources of Phosphorus?

Answer 2

Phosphate containing rocks

Question 3

How is Phosphate rock treated to make ammonium phosphate?

Answer 3

With nitric acid to produce phosphoric acid and calcium nitrate - then it is neutralised with ammonia to produce ammonium phosphate

Question 4

How is potassium sourced?

Answer 4

Are mined from the ground and they are soluble in water - so they can be separated from impurities and used directly

Question 5

How is triple superphosphate made?

Answer 5

Reacting phosphoric acid with mined phosphate rocks

Question 6

How is calcium nitrate made?

Answer 6

Reacting phosphate rock with nitric acid

Question 7

How is a single superphosphate made?

Answer 7

Reacting mined phosphate rock with sulfuric acid

Question 8

How is ammonium sulfate made in an industrial scale?

Answer 8

Concentrated sulfuric acid is sprayed into anhydrous ammonia gas at 60 degrees
The energy transferred in the exothermic reaction is used to heat a neighbouring tower - where ammonium sulfate is heated to make pellets of the fertilisers

Question 9

Why are the pipes and reaction vessels made up of strong stainless steel?

Answer 9

To withstand high pressures and the corrosive nature of many of the raw materials