From Havlin, Beaton, Tisdale and
Nelson (1999)
Ammonium Chloride NH4CI
Fertilizer-grade NH4Cl usually contains 25% N. About
two-thirds of the world capacity for manufacture of this material is
located in Japan, with the remaining one-third situated in India and
China. Most of it is produced by the dual-salt process, in which NH4CI
and (Na) 2CO3 are formed simultaneously. Another production method is
the direct neutralization of NH3 with HCI. Some of its advantages
include a higher N concentration than (NH4)2SO4 and superiority over
(NH4)2SO4 for rice. Ammonium chloride is an excellent source of both N
and Cl- for coconut, oil palm, and kiwifruit, which are Cl responsive
crops. Ammonium chloride is as acid forming as (NH4)2SO4 per unit of N,
and this effect is undesirable in acidic soil, especially if liming
costs are excessive. Other shortcomings are its low N analysis in
comparison to urea or NH4NO3, and its high Cl- content limits its use to
tolerant crops.
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