Fertiliser’s potassium formate potential

Potassium Formate is a useful chemical compound in the production of potassium metal and in the oil and gas industry, often in aqueous solution (alone, or mixed with cesium formate), to yield a high-density, environmentally-friendly brine that can be used a a heat transfer fluid. Potassium formate is available as both a solid and in solution form.

use

Potassium is vital to many plant processes. Potassium determines fruit size, leaf thickness, and stem strength. Potassium also plays a major role as a catalyst in the plant sap and transports carbohydrates from leaves to other parts of the plant, including the fruit. Crops which produce large amounts of sugars have an especially high requirement for potassium.

Potassium is required for numerous plant growth processes: enzyme activation, stomatal activity (water use), photosynthesis, transport of sugars, water and nutrient transport, protein synthesis and starch synthesis.In general, Potassium helps to increase crop yield and improve crop quality because it increases root growth and improves drought resistance, and activates many enzyme systems.

Fertiliser's  potential

A new liquid fertiliser, potassium formate, has the potential to revolutionise the consumption of potassium-bearing agrochemicals.Urea and ammonium nitrate (UAN) solutions are a step in the right direction for nitrogen-only solutions. UAN-type solutions would give maximum percentages of NPK and minimum expenses for storage and transportation both inland and overseas of liquid fertilisers.

In practice, the producer would add 5-10% water as a safeguard against solid deposition during transport in unusually cold areas, and to keep the viscosity at a reasonable level; in any case, the user would dilute the fertiliser concentrate as received with irrigation water before use termed “fertigation”.

This could possibly solve the farming problems of sub-Saharan Africa; if instead of subsistence farming workers could be taught to apply fertigation, then every acre of land could produce more food, requiring less human labour.

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