Ammonium sulfate (NH4)2SO4, is an inorganic salt with a number of commercial uses. The most common use is as a soil fertilizer. It contains 21% nitrogen and 24% sulfur. Ammonium sulfate [(NH4)2 SO4] was one of the first and most widely used nitrogen (N) fertilizers for crop production. It’s now less common but especially valuable where both N and sulfur (S) are required. Its high solubility provides versatility for a number of agricultural applications.
Moreover, its ability to be used as a food additive and purification agent are the major trends and factors affecting the market confidently. Therefore, they are used in various applications such as fertilizers, food additives, industrial, and others.
The global market for ammonium sulfate is highly dependent on a number of factors such as the fertilizer industry and the stringent environmental regulations related to it. Ammonium sulfate is an inorganic salt which occurs naturally in volcanic fumaroles as a rare mineral, mascagnite. It is prepared by the treatment of ammonia, often as a by-product from coke-ovens with sulfuric acid. Ammonium sulfate is also produced by gypsum which is treated with ammonium carbonate solution to give the precipitate of calcium carbonate leaving ammonium sulfate in the solution.
Increasing demand for nitrogen fertilizers is anticipated to one of the major growth factors driving the demand for ammonium sulfate. Ammonium sulfate, as a nitrogenous fertilizer competes with ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphates, and urea. In addition, sulfur is becoming increasingly popular as a vital nutrient for plant growth owing to ability to synthesize vitamins, enzymes, proteins, amino acids and chlorophyll. It has found to be highly beneficial to a wide range of crops such as wheat, vegetables, rice, potatoes and corn.
Global Ammonium Sulfate Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period. Growing utilization of nitrogen fertilizers to boost the crop yields, rising demand for ammonium sulfate as a flame retardant, low cost of ammonium sulfate compared to ammonium chloride, increasing demand for ammonium sulphate from food and beverage industries, developing new bio-based fertilizers such as nitrogen fixation biofertilizers are some of the factors driving the market growth. However, harmful environmental issues associated with ammonium sulphate are hampering the market growth.
