Fertilizers help maintain adequate levels of soil nutrients.
Like all other forms of life, plants need certain nutrients in order to grow. Adding fertilizer to soil helps maintain an adequate level of the right nutrients. There are several important chemical reactions used to produce most fertilizers.
Types
Three of the most important reactions employed in the manufacture of commercial fertilizer are the Haber-Bosch process, the Ostwald process and the Bosch-Meiser process. The production of phosphoric acid is another important chemical reaction in fertilizer production.
Function
The Haber-Bosch process combines atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen at high heat and pressure in the presence of a catalyst; the end product of the reaction is ammonia. Ammonia can in turn be used to produce nitric acid through the Ostwald process. Combining ammonia and nitric acid produces ammonium nitrate, a common nitrogen fertilizer; alternatively, ammonia can be used to synthesize urea fertilizer through the Bosch-Meiser process.
Effects
Phosphorus is another important nutrient that plants need. Phosphorus-containing fertilizers are generally produced using phosphoric acid, which is manufactured from minerals that contain phosphates through either a dry process involving heating in a furnace or a wet process involving application of other acids. Phosphoric acid can be combined with ammonia to produce fertilizers that contain both nitrogen and phosphorus.
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