Background

How did salt get into the earth? We answer these and other fundamental questions relating to our operations in well-written, illustrated articles. Should be more interested in a particular topic, our press team will be pleased to help you.

		Food for a growing world population According to expert estimates, more than 9 billion people will inhabit our earth by the middle of the century, compared with 4 billion in 1975 and 6 billion in 2000. This growth gives rise to many questions. The key question is whether our planet can feed so many people at all? Ultimately, important resources such as land or water are limited. That is why yields have to increase. To this end, wheat, maize or rice needs an optimal supply of fertilizers.

		How salt got into the earth Experts reckon that there are billions of tonnes of salt in all the known salt deposits around the world. Most of the rock salt is to be found in the northern hemisphere. How it arose is not scientifically clear: It is a gift from the sea.

		Salt is not just salt Salt ensures that soup and potatoes taste good and that the roads in winter are clear of ice and snow. That is the prevalent opinion. But salt can do much more. esco european salt company, a company belonging to the K+S Group, supplies customised products for 80 sectors and over 100 direct applications.

		Why are potash mines so secure? About 260 million years ago, large-scale climatic conditions in our northern hemisphere increasingly developed into an extreme desert climate. At about the same time, the continental shelf fell below sea level. As a result, large areas of the northern hemisphere were flooded. This resulted in the formation of various shallow basins that were separated from each other and from the ocean in particular. The flooding at first caused the depositing of substances that had not dissolved such as sand, gravel and clay and had been washed up with seawater.

		Expensive gas – will it mean less use of fertilizers in agriculture? Over the past few years, energy prices are developing in just one direction: Brief interruptions aside, they are climbing from one high to the next. Every petrol station visit brings tears to the eyes of drivers, final bills for heating costs drive huge holes into household budgets. Farmers are also affected. Nitrogenous fertilizers are increasingly becoming a luxury good for plant cultivation.