Talking SOP April 2005 [PDF, 460.23 Kb] - Tessenderlo Group

Sulphate of Potash newsf from Tessenderlo Group
A p r i l 2 0 0 5
Production of new quality
SoluPotasse ® starts at Ham
In this issue
Production of Tessenderlo Group’s enhanced quality SoluPotasse ® started
as planned at its Ham factory in Belgium at the end of December.
The new unit brings the production capacity of
SoluPotasse ® to around 150,000 tons per year.
While the chemical properties of the new product
are unchanged, its physical properties have been
improved: a modification to the particle size
distribution has substantially reduced the levels of
dust that historically made the product difficult to
handle in bulk.
fully packed. This is simply an effect of the lower
bulk density.
Easier to handle
Customers will also notice that the new
SoluPotasse ® is easier to handle, thanks to the
reduced dust levels. Indeed, initial feedback from
those receiving the new product has been very
positive.
Potassium sulphate produces
more tropical fruit with better
quality p2
Tessenderlo Group starts
SOP production in northern
France p4
fertigation and foliar application for a wide variety
of crops.
Customers have started to receive the new
SoluPotasse ® , as existing stocks of the old product
have been used up. Since the new product has a
slightly lower bulk density than the old one,
customers receiving SoluPotasse ® in bagged
form will notice that the bags appear to be more
To support its introduction, Tessenderlo Group
has updated the SoluPotasse ® users’ guide, first
produced in the mid-1990’s for the launch of the
original product. The 12-page guide contains full
details of the characteristics of SoluPotasse ®
along with recommendations for its use in
Those interested can obtain a copy either from
their Tessenderlo Group representative or by
e-mailing fertilizers@tessenderlo.com. Further
information on SoluPotasse ® can also be found
at the group’s website:
www.tessenderlogroup.com ■
IPI welcomes delegates to Morocco
Rabat in Morocco played host last November to delegates at the latest regional
workshop organized jointly by the Institut Agronomique et Veterinaire Hassan II (IAV)
and the International Potash Institute (IPI).
“The West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region is
a particularly arid area and, as the population
continues to increase, more food will be required.
But, at the same time, less water will be available
for agricultural use,” stated Michel Marchand,
Tessenderlo Group’s representative within the IPI
and coordinator for the WANA region.
“The only way to address this issue is to combine
efficient use of both fertilizers and water through
the use of drip irrigation and, for this reason, the
focus of the workshop was on the latest trends in
the use of potassium in fertigation.”
“The level of the underground water in Morocco is
dropping slowly but surely,” explained Professor
Badraoui of the IAV, joint organizer of the event
with Mr Marchand.
“The government has recognized the important
role fertigation has to play in sustainable
agriculture and now offers subsidies to growers
wishing to invest in drip irrigation systems.”
Over the course of the 4-day event, some 70
delegates from 15 countries in the WANA region
heard presentations on a wide range of topics
related to fertigation.
They also participated in a visit to the Domaines
Royaux in Douiet, close to Fès, and to the fruit
tree area of Meknès.
Proceedings of the workshop will be available in
due course on the IPI website www.ipipotash.org
which also contains further information on the
activities of the institute. ■
SoluPotasse ® GranuPotasse ® Standard SOP Low-chloride SOP

Potassium sulphate produces more tropical fruit
with better quality
Tropical fruit is becoming increasingly popular in temperate countries as a result of the search for new tastes or
for souvenirs of exotic adventure. Some tropical fruits, such as banana or pineapple, have been well known for a
long time and cropping techniques and fertilization are well controlled. But this is not always the case.
Most tropical species are characterized by fast
growth, resulting in short periods with high
nutritional requirements. In addition, tropical fruits
are frequently grown in poor soil conditions.
Fertilization must take into account these two
constraints and potash fertilization, as well as the
complete fertilization programme, needs to be
based on soil and plant analysis, according to
target yields.
fruit is a high potash
requirement. Balanced
fertilization is a
prerequisite to ensure
root growth and full
development of the
plant. Table 1 presents
the mineral requirements
for some tropical
fruits during the fruit
production stage.
Pineapple: a popular tropical fruit.
The most popular tropical fruits are banana,
mango and pineapple, covering respectively
4.5 million, 3.6 million and 0.85 million hectares
worldwide. Among other species are dragon fruit,
durian, guava, jackfruit, longan, langsat,
mangostan, passion fruit, papaya, rambutan,
sapodilla, and star fruit.
Although these crops can be very different, the
common characteristic for producing marketable
Guava
Guava comes from
Central America and is
now grown in many
tropical and subtropical
areas of the world. It is
a fruit tree with a short
life cycle. Production starts between 10 and 12
months after plantation, with the period of
maximum productivity when the tree is three to
four years old.
Guava can be cropped in many soils, except
those with high clay content, low drainage
capacity or salinity.
Papaya
Papaya is mostly cropped in Brazil, India, Mexico
and Nigeria, with Mexico being the most
important papaya exporter in the world.
SoluPotasse ® is widely used in modern papaya
production and a standard fertigation programme
using the product is presented in Table 2 below.
Tropical fruit: reminders of exotic adventure.
Longan.
Table 1 N P 2 O 5 K 2 O
g per tree per year
Durian 800 400 600
Dragon fruit 540 420 500
Guava 60 60 85
Longan 400 180 400
Mangostan 1200 600 1200
Papaya 45 45 60
Passion fruit 135 30 150
Rambutan 420 420 600
Sapodilla 420 420 600
Star fruit 600 600 850
Table 2
Planting density from 2000 to 2500 plants/ha
Urea MAP SoluPotasse ® Mg Sulphate Split into
kg/ha kg/ha kg/ha kg/ha (applications)
Planting - 10 - - -
1st month 55 20 40 - 2 - 3
2nd month 85 40 80 - 3 - 4
3rd month 140 80 120 - 4 - 5
4th month - 100 200 - 5 - 6
From flower initiation to fruit setting
Every month 75 65 135 60 5 - 6 per month
SoluPotasse ® GranuPotasse ® Standard SOP Low-chloride SOP

Dragon fruit
Dragon fruit is not popular in western countries,
but is much appreciated in the Far East, especially
for feasts. It looks strange, as well as having an
unusual name. The origin of the plant is in South
America, but it is now widely cropped in South
East Asia.
Photoperiod control allows production of fruit
throughout the year. Potassium sulphate improves
dragon fruit’s sugar content and consequently its
taste (Table 3).
Dragon fruit.
Table 3 K 2 O K fertilizer Yield (kg/tree) Brix Taste
g/tree/year 2001 2002 degree
T1 (control) 120 KCl 10.17 10.13 16.05 +
T2 200 K 2 SO 4 11.98 11.49 16.12 ++
T3 400 K 2 SO 4 13.32 12.94 17.07 +++
T4 600 K 2 SO 4 14.26 14.19 17.78 ++++
T5 400 KCl 12.98 12.56 16.88 ++
Durian tree.
Durian
Durian is a fruit with a very strong smell, which
explains why it is forbidden in some five star
hotels! However, it is a very popular fruit, much
appreciated in Asia.
Longan
Longan, also called dragon’s eye, originates from
Burma and the south China border area. The fruit,
similar to lichee but tasting sweeter, is cropped
mostly in the tropical part of South East Asia. It is
a cash crop, exported either as fresh fruit or dried.
Potassium sulphate improves its yield and sugar
content, as well as the edible part of the fruit
(Table 4).
Table 5 K 2 O K fertilizer Yield (kg/tree) Fruit flesh Taste
g/tree/year 2001 2002 ratio
T1 (control) 200 KCl 237.23 281.83 19.05 +
T2 750 K 2 SO 4 288.24 342.27 19.79 ++
T3 1050 K 2 SO 4 343.16 343.98 22.50 +++
T4 1350 K 2 SO 4 308.19 354.32 22.72 ++++
T5 1050 KCl 283.37 310.84 21.97 +
Table 4 K 2 O K fertilizer Yield (kg/tree) Brix Taste
g/tree/year 2001 2002 degree
T1 (control) - - 32.5 32.9 18.75 +
T2 300 K 2 SO 4 37.3 40.2 19.40 +
T3 500 K 2 SO 4 41.5 44.1 20.71 ++
T4 700 K 2 SO 4 51.3 54.1 21.75 +++
T5 500 KCl 36.5 40.5 20.02 +
All lovers of durian enjoy the taste of its flesh,
which is enhanced by applying potassium sulphate,
in addition to the fertilizer’s effect on fruit
production (Table 5).
Sulphate of potash: a key role
New research into potash fertilization shows the
key role of potassium sulphate in producing sweet
and tasty fruit with good conservation properties.
As shown in the tables above, potassium is an
important element for most types of fruit
produced in the world. The figures illustrate
research recently undertaken in cooperation with
the main institutes involved in tropical fruit
development.
It is evident that the potential growth of “new”
tropical fruits on the world market is important.
Using sulphate of potash to produce these
provides a guarantee of greater fruit production
and better fruit quality. ■
Sapodilla.
Star fruit.
Dragon fruit.
SoluPotasse ® GranuPotasse ® Standard SOP Low-chloride SOP

Tessenderlo Group starts SOP production
in northern France
With global demand for sulphate of potash (SOP) still strong despite recent
price increases, Tessenderlo Group has now started production at a third
factory, ‘Produits Chimiques de Loos’, located in the northern part of
France close to the town of Lille.
A significant part of the SOP currently produced
by PC Loos is in granular form, marketed as
GranuPotasse ® , since this part of France is also
an important market for SOP, particularly for the
local potato crop.
Growers throughout the world now recognise the
benefits SOP can bring to high value cash crops
such as fruit and vegetables, Consequently,
demand for the product in the first few months of
2005 has been so high that many manufacturers
have been operating at full capacity.
‘Produits Chimiques de Loos’ plant.
Tessenderlo Group previously had just two
factories producing SOP in Belgium. The two
units are situated in the eastern part of the
country: the first at Ham, adjoining the Albert
canal, and the second in the town of Tessenderlo.
Modifications to the group’s plant in northern
France, operated by its French subsidiary
‘Produits Chimiques de Loos’ (PC Loos), now
allow this unit to produce up to 100,000 tonnes of
SOP per year.
Which products are produced at PC
Loos?
The plant at Loos is part of Tessenderlo Group’s
Inorganic Chemicals Division. It produces mineral
chlorides (ferric, zinc and aluminium) for a variety
of industrials applications, including water
treatment and batteries.
The site is also equipped with an electrolysis unit,
which produces caustic potash and potash flakes
for a variety of applications, including detergents,
as well as up to 18,000 tonnes of chlorine for
internal use within the group.
The plant also possesses six Mannheim furnaces,
which were previously used to produce sodium
sulphate for the detergent and pulp and paper
industries, among others. This production has
now been transferred to the group’s Tessenderlo
factory and modification of the furnaces now
allows production of SOP.
What grades of SOP are currently being
produced there?
The Mannheim furnaces at PC Loos operate in an
identical manner to those at the group’s two other
SOP units in Belgium. Potassium chloride and
sulphuric acid are combined in the furnace at a
temperature of around 800°C to produce SOP
and hydrochloric acid.
Production of SOP at the plant started in October
2004 and it can produce both powder and
granular grades of SOP. The physical and
chemical characteristics of the products
produced there are very similar to those of the
SOP produced in the Belgian factories, but
separate specification sheets are available.
One of the plant’s Mannheim furnaces.
What are the advantages of producing
SOP at PC Loos?
The factory is strategically located in the town of
Loos, close to the city of Lille, and enjoys a direct
link via canal to the ports of Ghent, Dunkirk and
Antwerp. From here, the SOP can be shipped
efficiently to important markets in the
Mediterranean basin, both in Southern Europe
and North Africa.
Inside the furnace.
The plant is also ideally located to serve the
needs of important NPK producers who also have
facilities in the north of France.
What is the outlook for the world SOP
market in 2005?
Current market conditions remain difficult for SOP
producers and exporters, particularly those
located in Europe. The US dollar looks set to
remain weak against the Euro, having spent only
some two weeks in the first quarter of 2005 below
the 1.3 level.
While the freight market seems to have calmed
down slightly, rates still remain high and in the first
part of the year there have been no signs that
they will fall significantly in the near future.
Reports suggest that demand for MOP (the raw
material for the manufacture of Tessenderlo
Group’s SOP) remains strong and that MOP
manufacturers will be looking to achieve further
price increases during 2005. Such markets
conditions will inevitably lead to a further increase
in the price of SOP, especially in the US dollar
zone.
Despite this, the demand for SOP also looks set
to remain strong in the second quarter of the year
and Tessenderlo Group expects to be making full
use of all three of its SOP production units.
For more information on Tessenderlo Group’s
activities visit: www.tessenderlogroup.com ■
Tessenderlo Group Fertilizers
giving nature a helping hand
www.sopib.com
Tessenderlo Group
Troonstraat 130, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 639 1811 Fax: +32 2 639 1940
www.tessenderlogroup.com
fertilizers@tessenderlo.com
SoluPotasse ® and GranuPotasse ® are registered trademarks of Tessenderlo Group.