Potassium solubilization in verdete and limestone mixtures treated thermochemically

Abstract

Brazil owns reserves of low solubility potassium silicate rocks, being necessary the development of alternative processing methods to increase their solubility, so they can be efficiently used in agriculture. This study aimed to get new technological routes to produce alternative potassium sources from verdete. Calcination and alkaline solubilization tests were performed for verdete and limestone mixtures. The calcination process followed by cooling at room temperature provided a higher potassium availability than other methods used. However, the increase of limestone content, concerning verdete, decreased the potassium solubility. The treatment limestone:verdete, in the proportion of 0:100, after calcination at 800 ºC during one hour and then treated with NH4OH, and in the proportion of 25:75, after calcination, release proportionally higher amounts of K than non-calcinated samples.

Keywords

• Calcination
• alkaline solubilization
• alternative source of potassium