Ammonium sulfate (granular) - 100 grams

Granulated ammonium sulfate (ammonium sulfate, ammonium salt of sulfuric acid) - is a granulated nitrogen-sulfur fertilizer, contains 20% nitrogen in ammonium form, sulfur - 24%, does not caking. Ammonium sulfate is one of the mineral fertilizers widely used in agriculture.

It is used for all agricultural crops (from potatoes to citrus fruits) on black and gray soils. Ammonium nitrogen from ammonium sulfate is absorbed by plants. Sulfur is necessary for the nutrition of all crops, as it is part of some essential amino acids synthesized by plants. Ammonium sulfate is obtained as a by-product in the production of caprolactam.

It exists in crystalline form (in the form of transparent crystals); when crushed, a white powder is obtained that tastes like salt.

Basic physical properties of ammonium sulfate:

• The substance is odorless;
• Easily soluble in water, can dissolve in acids;
• Ammonium sulfate is insoluble in alcohol, ethers, and acetone;
• It has relatively low hygroscopicity, which has undoubted advantages during storage (no clumping, no caking, retains good flowability);
• When heated to 250°C, it decomposes to produce acid salts due to the loss of ammonia;
• At higher temperatures, it completely decomposes into ammonia, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen and water;
• Density at 20°C is 1.766 g/cm³.

Technical ammonium sulfate has a yellowish-gray tint due to numerous impurities, including heavy metal ions.

Application of Ammonium Sulfate

The most extensive area of application of ammonium sulfate is agriculture. This compound is a nitrogen-sulfur mineral fertilizer that contains 21% nitrogen and 24% sulfur. The fertilizer tolerates transportation and long-term storage well, since it has weak hygroscopic properties.

Ammonium sulfate as a fertilizer can be used for many types of agricultural crops on gray soils and chernozems.

In particular, the use of ammonium sulfate in the cultivation of tea, potatoes, rice, cotton, rye, sugar beets and oats provides a significant increase in yield. Due to the fact that nitrogen in the fertilizer is in ammonium form, compatible with sulfur, ammonium sulfate reduces the content of radionuclides in plants several times, and also prevents significant accumulation of nitrates.

Such properties of ammonium sulfate make it possible to use the fertilizer in environmentally unfavorable contaminated areas. Another undeniable advantage of ammonium sulfate as a fertilizer can be considered its low migration ability. Ammonium cations are perfectly absorbed by the soil, which helps protect the fertilizer from being washed out.

In agriculture, the use of ammonium sulfuric acid is especially valuable in problem areas of the soil, where there is a real danger of nitrogen loss (due to irrigation, leaching, etc.).