What is ammonium chloride? ? ?
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Ammonium chloride, abbreviated as “chloroammonium” and also known as halite, is a quick-acting chemical nitrogen fertilizer with a nitrogen content of 24%–25%; it is considered a physiologically acidic fertilizer. In our country, ammonium chloride is produced primarily using the soda ash process, as a by-product of soda ash. The ratio between the production volume of soda ash and that of ammonium chloride is approximately 1:1.1. Depending on their uses, ammonium chloride is divided into industrial-grade and agricultural-grade varieties. In China, over 95% of ammonium chloride is used as a fertilizer, with around 90% of this amount being utilized in the production of compound fertilizers. It is suitable for crops such as wheat, rice, corn, and rapeseed, and it particularly enhances the toughness and strength of fibers in cotton and linen crops, as well as improving their quality. The growth in market demand for agricultural ammonium is closely linked to the development of the compound fertilizer industry. Before 1999, due to the large-scale import of compound fertilizers, China’s entire compound fertilizer market was in a poor state, which hindered the development of the country’s agricultural ammonium market. Entering the year 2000, **the policy advantages associated with reducing imports of compound fertilizers led to rapid development of China’s compound fertilizer industry, and demand for agricultural ammonium fertilizers also increased as a result. However, ammonium chloride is primarily used in the production of low-concentration compound fertilizers. As farmers increasingly prefer high-concentration fertilizers, the use of low-concentration fertilizers has declined, leading to a reduction in the amount of ammonium chloride purchased by compound fertilizer manufacturers. Although sales of agricultural ammonium nitrate increased to some extent throughout 2001, the sales performance was clearly worse than that in 2000. According to statistics, in 2006 the production of ammonium chloride was around 6.5 million tons, while consumption was between 6.05 and 6.25 million tons. However, when the inventory from 2005 is taken into account, production of ammonium chloride began to exceed sales volume starting in 2006. By the end of 2013, the price of anhydrous ammonium fluctuated between 500 and 1,000 yuan per ton, depending on the fertilizer purchasing season. However, since 2014, there has been a severe overcapacity in the market, leading to a sharp imbalance between supply and demand, and as a result the price of ammonium chloride has continued to drop. According to China Fertilizer Network, the total production capacity of ammonium chloride across the country in 2014 was around 17 million tons, while the apparent consumption in 2013 was between 9 and 10 million tons. Consumption in the first 10 months of this year showed no significant increase; overall, the supply far exceeds demand. On a micro level, in the second week of November 2014, the main ex-factory prices for ammonium chloride in China were 260–280 yuan per ton for wet ammonium and 330–360 yuan per ton for dry ammonium. Market feedback indicated that the actual transaction price for wet ammonium was around 200 yuan per ton, while that for dry ammonium was below 280 yuan per ton. The main ex-factory price for light alkalis in China was 1300–1400 yuan per ton. Therefore, the marginal profit per two tons for companies producing combined alkalis is currently around 1500–1700 yuan per ton ； In terms of costs, there are significant variations across different regions due to differences in overhead expenses. Currently, the full marginal cost per two tons for caustic soda producers in the East China region is between 1,580 and 1,650 yuan per ton, while in Central China it is between 1,500 and 1,550 yuan per ton. In North China, some manufacturers incur costs as high as around 2,400 yuan per ton. The average marginal cost per two tons across the industry is approximately 1,700 yuan per ton (based on total costs). It is easy to see that currently, the marginal cost for caustic soda manufacturers exceeds their marginal revenue, and the market price is lower than the equilibrium price (Pe)’
At present, many manufacturers of compound fertilizers and mixed fertilizers, in an effort to capture market share, use ammonium chloride at low prices as the nitrogen source. They indicate only the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in their products, without specifying the chlorine content, which harms farmers who are unaware of this situation. Many years ago, developed countries in the West had already imposed strict restrictions on the use of ammonium chloride in agriculture. High-chloride fertilizers can cause rapid degradation of soil, namely salinization, which poses a serious threat to both soil quality and the quality of crops. The amount of chlorine ions introduced by using one kilogram of ammonium chloride is greater than that resulting from adding one kilogram of table salt to the soil. Ammonium chloride, abbreviated as “chloroammonium” and also known as halite, is a quick-acting chemical nitrogen fertilizer. It contains only 24%–25% nitrogen, while the chlorine content is as high as 66%; it is therefore a physiologically acidic fertilizer. The hazards of ammonium chloride include inhibiting plant growth, reducing or delaying tillering or branching, causing the leaves to become smaller and deformed, and even resulting in burned-looking leaves; the damage is particularly severe when the \"dichloro\" compound fertilizer (i.e., ammonium chloride + phosphate fertilizer + potassium chloride) is used. According to monitoring data provided by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, excessive application of ammonium chloride fertilizer can cause the soil pH to drop by 0.96–1.2, leading to acidification, with a chlorine residue level as high as 19.6%. The utilization rates of nitrogen from urea, diammonium, and ammonium chloride were 33.8%, 31.2%, and 21.6%, respectively ； The effect on the effective zinc content of trace elements is as follows: soil containing urea had a zinc content of 1.92 mg/p, whereas soil containing ammonium chloride had only 0.47 mg/p of zinc, which directly affects the growth of the subsequent corn crop. Farmers, I hope this will alert you! It is dangerous to use ammonium chloride as well as compound fertilizers and mixed fertilizers containing ammonium chloride in dry land; one should not pursue cheapness at the expense of damaging one’s farmland. The use of high-chloride fertilizers leads to a cumulative effect: it only results in lower and lower yields, and over time the land turns into barren saline-alkali soil. As is well known, chlorinated fertilizers cannot be used on crops such as tobacco, peanuts, fruit trees, tuberous crops like sweet potatoes and potatoes, radishes, and vegetables. However, farmers are not as aware of the harms associated with the use of ammonium chloride fertilizers on field crops such as wheat and corn. Therefore, this reminder is provided to avoid any losses!