Artificial Fertilizer
Artificial fertilizers are minerals produced through chemical processes to nurture the soil. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the macronutrients, and calcium, magnesium and sulfur are the micronutrients. The use of these compounds can help the growth of plants significantly, but there are several drawbacks.
For one, the processes used to create these compounds use finite resources, such as potassium and sulfur coming from salt mines and nitrogen occurring from ammonia produced from natural gases. There is also concern about buildup of arsenic, cadmium and uranium buildup in fields related to phosphate fertilizers. Without cleanup after every growing season these toxic compounds build up indefinitely.
