Potassium Production

Interesting fact for the week:

What is the (approximate) global production of Potassium metal per year?

I was amazed to find this out but it is only 200 tonnes! Globally!

Ask you students and see what they come up with.

Why so little? Well, it is very hard to extract (more on this tomorrow)…..

You can also let them know that world production of the ore is 50 million tonnes but the vast majority goes into making fertilizers (approx 95%) and the rest into Potassium Hydroxide.

This information was sourced from my favorite book – ‘Nature’s Building Blocks’ by John Emsley. Well worth a read and thoroughly recommended (ISBN 0-19-850340-7)