Production Technology of Potassium Humate and Its Application in Agriculture

Abstract: Potassium humate is produced by the reaction of acidic groups in the humic acid structure of peat, lignite or weathered coal with potassium hydroxide. The production process mainly includes wet process and dry process. It is a new type of source of potash. The water-soluble potassium humate produced by the wet process is a very important potassium raw material in water-soluble fertilizers, while the potassium humate produced by the dry process can be widely used in the production of base fertilizers such as compound microbial fertilizers and organic-inorganic compound fertilizers. As a new type of potassium fertilizer, potassium humate plays an important role in improving soil, stimulating crop root development, preventing potassium fixation, increasing crop yield, and improving crop quality.

1. The advantages of potassium humate

Compared with inorganic potassium fertilizer, potassium humate is rich in humic acid, has a certain cation exchange capacity, low bulk density. It's electrical conductivity is about 1/2 to 2/3 of inorganic potassium fertilizer. Therefore, potassium humate can improve soil, increase soil cation exchange capacity, increase soil water holding capacity, reduce soil bulk density and soil conductivity, and increase soil aggregate structure. Thereby, effectively avoiding problems such as soil acidification and compaction caused by long-term application of traditional inorganic potassium fertilizers. It is beneficial to the ecologically sustainable development and utilization of farmland.

2. Production process of potassium humate

2.1 Wet process

The production of wet-process water-soluble potassium humate is based on the amount of calcium and magnesium contained in the raw materials, and adopts the process of direct alkali extraction or acid washing and then alkali extraction. The acid washing process can remove the calcium and magnesium ions combined with humic acid in the raw material, so that the humic acid is freed and reacted with potassium hydroxide to form potassium humate, which improves the extraction rate.

2.2 Dry process

The dry-process potassium humate production process refers to the product produced by the reaction of materials with a humic acid content of 60% and potassium hydroxide. The raw material is ball-milled and reacted with potassium hydroxide, then pulverized and extracted, directly dried and pulverized without solid-liquid separation and concentration.

3. Application of potassium humate in agricultural production

3.1 Improving the soil.

3.2 Stimulate crop root development and crop growth.

3.3 Synergistic fertilizer.

3.4 Enhance crop stress resistance.

3.5 Increase crop yield and improve agricultural product quality.

3.6 Attenuate and increase the efficiency of pesticides and improve the effect of pesticides.

As one of the new sources of potassium humate, potassium humate has unparalleled advantages compared with traditional inorganic potassium fertilizers, and its application in the field of organic agriculture is of great significance.