The name "potash" comes from the "ash" of a "pot". Centuries ago people burned wood, mixed the ashes with water and evaporated the solution in iron pots. The remainder was potash which was used primarily for soap and glass.
Potash is a group of minerals consisting of potassium salt mixed with the impure form of potassium carbonate (K2CO3). The word potash was derived from the Dutch word “Potasch,” which originally referred to wood ash.
Potash, pronounced pot-ash, is the term commonly used to describe potassium-containing salts used as fertilizer. Most potash is derived from potassium chloride (KCl), which is also known as Muriate of Potash (MOP).
Potash (/ˈpɒtæʃ/) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. The name derives from pot ash, plant ashes or wood ash soaked in water in a pot, the primary means of manufacturing potash before the Industrial Era. The word potassium is derived from potash.
Potash is the term commonly used for potassium. It's one of the three major nutrients that plants require for healthy growth and is represented by the chemical symbol 'K'.
Global potash production was estimated at almost 71.9 million tonnes in 2021. Canada is the world's largest potash producer, accounting for 31% of the world's total in 2021. Three countries (Canada, Russia and Belarus) accounted for approximately 70% of the world's potash production in 2021.
Potash in Canada
But the world's largest producer and exporter of potash is Canada, which also has the world's largest potash reserves, with 1.1 billion tonnes of potash (potassium oxide equivalent).
Potash (potassium chloride, KCl) is used primarily as an agricultural fertilizer because it is an excellent source of soluble potassium, one of the three primary plant macronutrients along with nitrogen and phosphorus.
The best substitute for potash is baking soda. It is recommended to use equal amounts to substitute.
The main reserves of potash in the world are in the clay minerals of the soils and rocks, in the water of the oceans and in the rock salt deposits containing the crystallised minerals from long dried up seas.
Potassium (also called potash) is another common component of wood ash, occurring at concentrations of up to 5%. Magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur are also typically found in wood ash at concentrations of up to 2%.
90-95% of potash is used in agriculture as fertilizer
Potassium is vital to many important plant processes including photosynthesis (creation of energy), water and nutrient uptake, and overall crop quality. To ensure healthy and nutritious plant growth, an adequate supply of potassium must be maintained in the soil.
Australian Potash's Lake Wells Sulphate of Potash Project is located approximately 500km northeast of Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia's northeastern Goldfields and consists of granted mining leases and exploration licences covering over 1,200 square kilometres.
KLL is a minerals company focused on developing the 100% Owned Beyondie Sulphate of Potash Project in Western Australia, on the cusp of commencing steady state production of least 100ktpa of Sulphate of Potash (SOP) for domestic and international sale.
Potash Is Made of Potassium
It's always found in combined forms with other minerals in the earth's crust, particularly where there are large deposits of clay minerals and heavy soils. Potash is an impure combination of potassium carbonate and potassium salt.
Potassium bicarbonate is widely considered to be one of the best substitutes for baking soda in a recipe. This is because potassium bicarbonate has the same leavening capabilities as baking soda, but there is one distinct difference: it does not contain any of the sodium that baking soda possesses.
Fertilizer potassium is sometimes called “potash”, a term that comes from an early production technique where potassium was leached from wood ashes and concentrated by evaporating the leachate in large iron pots (“pot-ash”).
Although extra potassium may not damage plants directly to begin with, it will eventually have serious indirect effects on overall plant nutrition. Excess potassium affects overall plant nutrition by preventing the plant from taking up other mineral nutrients, in particular magnesium, iron, zinc, and calcium.
Potash has a high sodium content, which is not good for the body. The effects of a high intake of sodium include headaches, an increase in blood pressure, kidney disease, kidney stones, stroke, osteoporosis, and so on.
Cow manure is rich in nutrients and is suitable for plant growth. It has 3% nitrogen, 2% phosphorus, and 1% potassium—3-2-1 NPK, making it the right type of fertilizer for almost all types of plants and crops.
The largest producer of potash in the world is Canada, but Russia,Belarus, Germany, and China also produce significant amounts.
On July 31, 1790, the inventor Samuel Hopkins was awarded the first US patent for a new method of making potash and pearl ash. Potash, later termed potassium carbonate, was used as a fertilizer, as a detergent to clean fibers in textile manufacturing, and as an ingredient in soap.
In 2021, a total of 55.44 million tons of nitrogen, phosphate and potash fertilizer was produced in China.
Potash prices were over $800 per ton for much of 2022, with an $866 per ton on December 15, 2022. Potash fell to $645 per ton on February 23, 2023.