Pikalyovo Soda JSC is the only producer of crystalline feed-grade potassium carbonate (potash) in the Russian Federation.
Potash, potassium carbonate (K2CO3) is the neutral salt of potassium and carbonic acid. Composition: K2CO3 99.3%, Na2CO3 0.25%, SO4 0.1%. Milky white crystals, soluble in water, free of heavy metals and chlorine, entirely harmless to living organisms and plants.
Its history goes back to antiquity, with production concentrated in North America and Russia. Today Pikalyovo Soda JSC offers potassium carbonate, which is indispensable in the following areas of chemical production:
1. Antifreeze admixtures for concrete and other building mixes: with potash added they become resistant to freezing.
2. Feed additives for poultry and livestock. Potash has long been used as a feed additive. It was first noticed that after animal housing had been disinfected with potassium carbonate, appetite and feed conversion improved, giving a greater weight gain. Five to six grams a day give a weight gain of 20–30% compared with ordinary feed. For nursing animals and for laying hens, which lose a great deal of potassium with milk and eggs, potash-based additives led to a faster recovery after lactation and to a longer laying period. Today potassium carbonate is an almost universal component of mineral and feed additives for animals and poultry; the countries of the European Union and the USA use it and consider it economically sound.
3. Fire-retardant additives based on potassium carbonate improve the effectiveness of fire protection. This straightforward chemical is also widely used in the food and paint industries and in the production of glass and soap. Its effectiveness depends on the concentration and on the neighbouring components, but its main advantage is that it is completely safe for people and animals.
4. It can be used as a mineral fertiliser, free of chlorine. In greenhouses it is used for vegetables — carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers — and the produce is environmentally clean. Applying 20 g of potash dissolved in water per 1 m2 of greenhouse soil increases the yield by 15–20%. Soils across north-western and central Russia and Siberia are acidic (pH 5–6), which makes the use of potash effective.
5. Household chemicals. Antiseptics and detergents are made on the basis of potassium carbonate: it readily dissolves fats and vegetable oils.
6. Glass making. Melting glass with lead salts and potassium carbonate yields high-quality crystal.
