History of the Fertilizer Industry
The Chinese and British first enriched soil by adding bone meal containing calcium carbonate and clay. Modern production has shifted from chemical to synthetic fertilizers.
British Treat Bones
Chemists in 19th century England made superphosphate fertilizer by treating bones with sulfuric acid. By 1871, about 80 factories in Britain manufactured superphosphate.
Germans Go Synthetic
Justus von Liebig, a 19th century , discovered nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in plant tissue and produced them synthetically. Calcium nitrate, made in 1903 from nitric acid, was the first synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.
Fritz Haber Makes Ammonia
Fritz Haber, another German chemist, developed a method of synthesizing ammonia. He won the 1918 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work that made manufacturing nitrogen economically feasible.
TVA Contributes
The United States government created The Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933 with a mandate to streamline fertilizer manufacturing. The TVA introduced innovations in production of mixed fertilizers, bulk blending and the fluid-fertilizer industry.
Tanker Trucks and Pesticides
After World War II, the fertilizer industry introduced tank trucks that injected ammonia directly into depleted soil, and new pesticides were developed.
More Organic Pesticides
The green revolution features new types of maize, wheat and rice seed with increased nitrogen-absorbing capabilities. Fertilizers are being developed to be technologically and economically sound and to meet air and water pollution standards.
Tags: 19th century, , German chemist, History Fertilizer, History Fertilizer Industry