application of mineral as ferlizer; what are the mineral that are very good uses for fertilizer production , and they are how processed and availability of the mineral

1. Assignment: 01
APPLICATION OF MINERALS
AS FERTILIZER
Name : ATPUTHAN.S
Reg no : UWU / MRT/ 15 /001
Year : 2018
Technical Mineralogy
MRT 315-3

2. Assignment:01
Application of mineral as
Fertilizer
Technical mineralogy
MRT315-3
Name : ATPUTHAN.S

3. Reg.No : UWU/MRT/15/001
Year : 2018
 What Is Fertilizer
Fertilizer, natural or artificial substance containing the chemical elements that
improve growth and productiveness of plants. Fertilizers enhance the natural fertility
of the soil or replace the chemical elements taken from the soil by previous crops.
The use of manure and composts as fertilizers is probably almost as old
as agriculture. Fertilizer is a natural or synthetic, chemical-based substance that is
used to enhance plant growth and fertility. Fertilizers may also enhance water
retention and filter any excess liquid, hence enhancing soil effectiveness. Fertilizers
typically offer the three major macronutrients potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.
Fertilizers may also add secondary nutrients such as sulfur magnesium, and calcium
to the soil or growing media.
 Why do we need fertilizers?
The role of fertilizers in food production is usually underestimated, even by those
selling or using the products. Put very simply, fertilizers replace the nutrients that
crops remove from the soil. Without the Addition of fertilizers crop yields Chemical
symbol Importance to plant would be significantly reduced.
 What are content on fertilizer
Three Main Nutrients That Aren’t in the Bag
Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are the three largest components of plants, but these
are not available from fertilizer. These come from the air and from decomposing
organic matter. That’s one reason why it is important to have good, rich soil with
enough pore space to hold water and air and enough organic matter to break down
and supply the carbon.

4. The Three Main Nutrients That Are in the Bag
A fertilizer has three numbers printed on the package that state the percentage) of
the three main plant nutrients—nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K).
 Consumption rate of fertilizer
 What Nutrients Do
Nitrogen (N) fuels new growth. All vegetables and herbs need some nitrogen.
Phosphorous (P) promotes root development, which helps strengthen plants. It
also increases blooms. This is a very important nutrient, especially as plants start
out.
Potassium (K) is essential to many plant functions and their overall health. It also
helps plants withstand stressful weather and defend against diseases.

5. Calcium (Ca) improves general plant vigor and promotes growth of young roots
and shoots. Magnesium (Mg) helps regulate the uptake of other plant foods and
aids in seed-making.
Sulfur (S) helps foliage maintain a dark green color while encouraging vigorous
plant growth.
Raw Materials And The Manufacturing
Process
Natural fertilizers are formed in nature and are used in the form in which they
occur, without, or with little processing .Volcanic rocks have been singled out as
soil ameliorants for their relatively fast rate of weathering and relatively fast
release of their contained macro and micronutrients. Their nutrient release rate is
commonly faster than that of silica-rich igneous rocks such as granites. Young
volcanic areas with weathered lavas and ashes are commonly very fertile
agricultural areas. /Some rock and mineral resources can be used as slow-release
nutrient-supplying materials for crops in degraded tropical soils and also for
forestry and pastures. The fertilizer industry extracts and processes naturally
occurring rocks and minerals to produce soluble fertilizers, with the exception of
nitrogen fertilizers. However, the fertilizer industry focuses almost exclusively
on the production of fertilizers containing the three macronutrients, nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and not on secondary nutrients and
micronutrients. In contrast to the technical efforts of the fertilizer industry, the
agro geological approach aims at increasing the nutrient release rates from widely
occurring nutrient rich minerals and rocks. As the solubility and release rates of
these naturally occurring rocks and minerals are generally very low, the intent is
to accelerate the speed of nutrient release through various chemical, physical and

6. biological modification processes. Many of the rock and mineral fertilizer
materials contain a multitude of nutrients, including micronutrients
Natural mineral and rock-based fertilizers can be subdivided into:
• Multi-Nutrient Silicate Rock Fertilizers, e.g. fine grained volcanic rocks,
• Single-Nutrient Rock Fertilizers, e.g. phosphate rock fertilizers,
• Rock Fertilizers from rock and mineral ‘waste’ – unprocessed mine ‘waste’ –
processed rock and coal waste’ (e.g. fly ash).
• Translocate Rock Fertilizers: – alluvial Rock Fertilizer (e.g. nutrient rich river
and reservoir sediments) – airborne Rock Fertilizers (e.g. nutrient rich ‘loess’ and
volcanic ash)
 Nitrogen Fertilizer Component
The group of nitrogen fertilizers comprises all nitrogen compounds in a mineral or
organic form, in solid and liquid state, which provide nitrogen to plants as nutrients
and are also evaluated according to the content of this element.
Classification of N fertilizers:
1. the nitrate nitrogen (saltpeter, nitrate; NO3
-)
2. ammonium and ammonia Cal nitrogen (NH4
+, NH3)
3. amide nitrogen (organic; NH2
-)
4. s nitrogen in two or more forms (NH4
+, NO3
-, NH2
-)
o Raw materials for the production of nitrogen fertilizers

7. There were developed various methods of binding atmospheric nitrogen in nitrogen
compounds. The latter technology is currently the most common and cheapest. The
raw material for the production of nitrogen fertilizers is air elemental nitrogen N2.
This source is practically inexhaustible. Hydrogen is produced from natural gas
petroleum derivatives, coal and coke.
Own synthesis of ammonia from a mixture of N2 and H2 takes place as a catalytic
reaction at high pressure and temperature (20 - 100 KPa, 500 ° C) according to the
equation.
N2 + 3 H2 --------------> 2 NH3 + 4605 kJ
The produced ammonia can be used to direct fertilization, or a starting material for
the production of nitric acid, saltpeter, urea, nitrogen solutions, and compound
fertilizers. The production of nitrogen fertilizers is energy demanding. Ammonia and
its derivatives from petrochemical plants.
 Phosphorous Fertilizer Component
The term phosphate rock or Phosphorite is used to denote any rock with high
phosphorus content. The largest and least expensive source of phosphorus is
obtained by mining and concentrating phosphate rock from the numerous phosphate
deposits of the world. Some phosphate rock is used to make calcium phosphate
nutritional supplements for animals. The most important use of phosphate rock
though, is in the production of phosphate fertilizers for agriculture.
Virtually all common fertilizers have an “N-P-K” rating. Phosphorus is the “P” in
fertilizers. To isolate phosphorus from phosphate rock, it is treated with sulfuric acid,
producing phosphoric acid. Some of this material is reacted further with sulfuric acid
and nitric acid to produce a triple superphosphate, an excellent source of
phosphorous in solid form.

8. The phosphate rock modification processes that have shown a high potential of
enhanced P nutrient release include:
Physical Modification
-Fine grinding
- Mechanical activation.
Physico-Chemical Modification
-Fusion and calcination
Chemical Modification
-Acidulation
-Partial acidulation
- Blending and granulation
o Eppawala Rock Phosphate Deposit
The apatite reserve at Eppawala in Sri Lanka is a large deposit with and estimated
phosphate materials of more than 60 million tones. In the Eppawala phosphate
deposit, several compositional zones based on color, texture, structure and phosphate
minerals were identified. Laboratory analyzes suggest variable P205 composition
ranging from 12-42%. The final product marketed as a fertilizer consists of at least
30% P, which is guaranteed by the Lanka Phosphate Limited. According to the
information available at Eppawala. A phosphate high fertilizer around 35-38%

9. P,Also manufactured by minimizing the soil and clay particles already mixed with
apatite particles.
Production of phosphate fertilizer in this nature at Eppawala is limited mainly due
to the high cost of production involved than in making 30% P205. Therefore, priority
is given in operational processes to make phosphate fertilizer with 30% P205 to
reach the annual production of 35.000 metric tons using semi-modern machinery.
 Potassium Fertilizer Component
Potassium fertilizers are substances in which potassium is appreciated as the main
nutrient. Besides potassium, these fertilizers can contain certain amounts of other
biogenic elements (Mg, Ca, B et al., The useful Na, Cl and others.).Raw materials
for the production of potash fertilizers are derived from natural deposits of potassium
salts, which were formed by evaporation of sea water. Due to the repeating influx of
additional water salts got thicker and crystallized. Industrial potassium fertilizers are
produced by grinding and low-percentage dissolving of the crude salts and
subsequent flotation.
Rock powders which contain significant amounts of potassium are granite dust and
greensand Basalt is not available commercially, but it can sometimes be obtained
locally. Its potassium content is highly variable, but basalt weathers more quickly
than granite dust or greensand, and its potassium is more readily available. The
release of K from minerals and rocks has been studied over many decades.
The release rate of K from K-feldspar is extremely slow and the agronomic
effectiveness regarded as very low. There are however some K-minerals that are
more suitable for chemical and biological weathering and K-release than others, for
example leucite and other feldspathoid or K-zeolite bearing volcanic rocks, as well

10. as biotite and phlogopite mica. The release of elements from the two micas
phlogopite and biotitic slow, but the release of K can be accelerated through
biologically induced activities.
 Calcium Fertilizer Component
The source of calcium for the production of lime fertilizers are calcium and
magnesium calcium rocks which in nature were created secondarily from calcium
released from the minerals of igneous origin. At various locations they are stored as
different sediments of zoogenic phytogenic origin, which is evident by the structure
and the remains of skeletons, shells, and various skeletons. Their bearings are often
covered with clay, sand and other materials. Another source of calcium fertilizers
Are industry waste materials, such as saturation sludge, cement dust, phenolic lime
Calcareous materials are used to fertilize either directly, In the form of fertilizers
produced through a chemical process. Quality of calcium fertilizers is then
dependent on the form of calcium fertilizers and fineness (coarsely ground 1-2 mm,
finely ground 0.20-.63 mm, very finely ground from 0.04 to 0.09 mm)
According to the calcium binding calcium fertilizers are divided as follows:
1. Calcium fertilizers with carbonate form of calcium (CaCO3)
2. Calcium fertilizers with caustic form of calcium (CaO, Ca(OH)2)
3. Calcium fertilizers with sulfate form of calcium (CaSO4)
4. Calcium fertilizers with the silicate form of calcium (Ca2SiO4).
Magnesium Fertilizer Component

11. Common Mg fertilizers are typically divided into two classes: soluble sources and
semi-soluble sources. The particle size of semi-soluble Mg sources in large part
determines the rate of dissolution.
o Kieserite - (Soluble Mg Sources)
MgSO4. H2 O; 17% Mg – Kieserite is the monohydrate of magnesium sulfate,
produced primarily from mines. As a carrier of both Mg and S, kieserite finds
multiple applications in agriculture and industry.
o Dolomite – (Semi-Soluble Mg Sources)
MgCO3. CaCO3; 6 to 20% Mg – Depending on the geologic source, the
concentration of Mg will vary considerably. Pure dolomite contains 40 to 45%
MgCO3 and 54 to 58% CaCO3. However a concentration of 15 to 20% MgCO3 (4
to 6% Mg) is common for material called “dolomitic limestone”. Dolomite is often
the least expensive common source of Mg, but may be slow to dissolve, especially
where soil acidity is lacking.
 Sulfur Fertilizer Component
Sulfur and pyrite (FeS2) are the principal raw materials in the manufacture of
sulfuric acid which forms the back-bone of many modern industries such as
fertilizers, chemicals, paints and textiles.
Salt domes (reduction of gypsum), Iron sulphides

12.  Multi-Nutrient Silicate Rock Fertilizers
The use of multi-nutrient silicate rock fertilizers as low-cost, locally available
geological nutrient sources for agricultural development is not new.
Agricultural research with finely ground rocks and minerals, based on the
concept of ‘bread from stones’. The use of whole rock silicate fertilizers is
attractive as these types of fertilizers have the potential to supply soils with a
large array of macro and micronutrients in comparison to commercially
available soluble fertilizers, which commonly only supply the main
macronutrients N, P and K, but not nutrients such as Ca, Mg and
micronutrients. Some silicate rock fertilizers are diluted with minerals that
have no practical nutrient value, such as quartz. Disadvantages of many other
rock materials, including silica-rich igneous rocks like granites, contain
generally low nutrient concentrations and very low solubility
Reference:
1) De Vries, J.W., Groenestein, C.M. and De Boer, I.J.M. (2012) Environmental
Consequences of Processing Manure to Produce Mineral Fertilizer and Bio-
Energy. Journal of Environmental Management, 102, 173-183.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.02.032.
2) Van Duivenbooden, N., De Wit, C.T. and Van Keulen, H. (1996) Nitrogen,
Phosphorus and Potassium Relations in Five Major Cereals Reviewed. Fertilizer
Research, 44, 37-49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00750691.
3) Borlaug N.E. (1997). Our Short Memories, in Agricultural Intensification in
sub-Saharan Africa. Proceedings of a Centre for Applied Studies in
International negotiations, Sasakawa Africa Association, and the Global 2000
Program of the Carter Center, CASIN/SAA/Global 2000, AddisAbaba, August
1997.

13. 4) BLUM WEH, HERBINGER B, MENTLER A, OTTNER F, POLLAK M,
UNGER E AND WENZEL WW. 1989a. Zur Verwendung von Gesteinsmehlen
in der Landwirschaft. I. Chemisch-mineralogische Zusammensetzung und
Eignung von Gesteinsmehlen als Duengemittel. Zeitschrift Pflanzenernährung
Bodenkunde 152: 421–425.