Information: Potassium
Here’s a structured breakdown of **global potassium uses by sector**, written in the same style we’ve done for Aluminum, Silicon, Sulfur, Chlorine, and Argon: --- ### 📊 Global Potassium Uses by Sector #### **1–5: Agriculture & Fertilizers (~85–90%)** 1. **Potash Fertilizers (KCl, K₂SO₄, KNO₃)** – Major source of potassium for crops. 2. **Soil Conditioning** – Improves drought resistance and plant health. 3. **Hydroponics** – Key nutrient in controlled-environment farming. 4. **Animal Feed Supplements** – Potassium salts for livestock health. 5. **Crop Protection Chemicals** – Potassium salts used in some fungicides/herbicides. --- #### **6–10: Industrial Chemicals & Manufacturing (~5–7%)** 6. **Glass Production** – Potassium carbonate and nitrate in specialty/optical glass. 7. **Soap & Detergent Manufacturing** – Potassium hydroxide (“soft soaps”). 8. **Explosives & Fireworks** – Potassium nitrate, chlorate, and perchlorate. 9. **Textiles & Leather Processing** – Potassium carbonate and hydroxide in finishing. 10. **Dyes & Pigments** – Potassium compounds as mordants and color stabilizers. --- #### **11–15: Food & Consumer Products (~2–3%)** 11. **Food Additives** – Potassium sorbate (preservative), potassium bicarbonate (leavening). 12. **Salt Substitutes** – Potassium chloride as a low-sodium alternative. 13. **Sports Drinks & Supplements** – Electrolyte balance. 14. **Pharmaceutical Excipients** – Stabilizers in drug formulations. 15. **Personal Care Products** – Potassium-based ingredients in toothpaste and cosmetics. --- #### **16–20: Medical, Laboratory & Specialty Uses (~1–2%)** 16. **Intravenous Potassium Solutions** – Treat hypokalemia (low blood potassium). 17. **Pharmaceutical Manufacturing** – Potassium salts in antibiotics, pain relievers. 18. **Chemical Reagents** – Potassium permanganate (oxidizer, disinfectant). 19. **Laboratory Buffers** – Potassium phosphates in biochemistry. 20. **Radiation Detection & Calibration** – Potassium-40 isotopes in geoscience. --- 💡 **Summary of Approximate Shares by Sector** | Sector | % of Global Potassium Use | | ------------------------------- | ------------------------- | | Agriculture & Fertilizers | 85–90% | | Industrial Chemicals | 5–7% | | Food & Consumer Products | 2–3% | | Medical, Laboratory & Specialty | 1–2% | --- Would you like me to create the **potassium pie chart + top-20 bar chart** (like Aluminum, Silicon, and Argon), so it’s visually consistent across the series?Known Methods of Extraction
Great 👍 — next is **Potassium (K, atomic number 19).** Potassium is highly reactive and **never occurs free in nature**. It’s abundant in **potash minerals** (like sylvite, KCl; carnallite, KMgCl₃·6H₂O) and in brines. Industrial extraction methods focus on **mining, chemical reduction, and electrolysis**. Here are the **20 most common methods of extracting Potassium**: --- # **20 Most Common Methods of Extracting Potassium** ### **A. Industrial Mining of Potash Minerals** 1. **Mining of Sylvite (KCl) Deposits** – The most common source; mined via underground or solution mining. 2. **Mining of Carnallite (KMgCl₃·6H₂O) Deposits** – Extracted as a solid or via brine solution. 3. **Mining of Langbeinite (K₂Mg₂(SO₄)₃) Deposits** – Less common, extracted for K fertilizer use. 4. **Solution Mining of Potash Deposits** – Hot water dissolves salts, pumped to surface, then evaporated. 5. **Solar Evaporation of Brines** – Concentrates potassium salts from natural brine lakes. 6. **Underground Brine Pumping** – Extracts KCl-rich brines for industrial processing. --- ### **B. Electrolytic and Thermal Reduction Methods** 7. **Electrolysis of Molten Potassium Chloride (KCl)** – Produces metallic potassium and chlorine gas; similar to Downs cell. 8. **Electrolysis of KCl–CaCl₂ Molten Mixtures** – Lowers melting point, reduces energy costs. 9. **Thermal Reduction of KCl with Sodium** – Laboratory method; sodium displaces potassium. 10. **Thermal Reduction of KCl with Magnesium** – Lab-scale displacement reaction. 11. **Thermal Reduction of K₂CO₃ with Carbon** – Produces potassium vapor at high temperature. 12. **Calciothermic Reduction of Potassium Salts** – Rare lab or research method. --- ### **C. Chemical & Byproduct Extraction** 13. **Displacement of K from K₂O or KOH with Sodium** – Lab-scale method. 14. **Reaction of K₂CO₃ with Carbon + CaO (Historic)** – Early experimental method. 15. **Extraction from Potash Fertilizer Byproducts** – Recycling K from K-containing chemical streams. 16. **Recovery from Seawater Potassium (via Precipitation)** – Rare industrial method using chemical precipitation. --- ### **D. Specialized / Experimental Methods** 17. **Electrolysis of KOH in Molten Form** – Lab-scale potassium production. 18. **High-Temperature Vapor Phase Reduction** – Research method using KCl vapor with reductants. 19. **Plasma-Assisted Reduction of Potassium Salts** – Experimental method. 20. **Electrochemical Reduction in Ionic Liquids** – Modern lab research for safer low-temperature potassium extraction. --- ✅ **Summary:** * **Main industrial sources today:** Sylvite and carnallite mining, solution mining, and solar evaporation of brines. * **Metallic potassium production:** Molten KCl electrolysis (Downs-type cells). * **Historic / lab methods:** Reduction of K salts with sodium, magnesium, or calcium. * **Natural occurrence:** Always in compounds; never free due to extreme reactivity. --- Next in periodic order is **Calcium (Ca, atomic number 20).** Do you want me to continue with **20 extraction methods for Calcium**?