May 5-7, 2019, International Magnesium Institute（IMI）organized a 3 days internship to Anhui Sierte Fertilizer Industry Co., Ltd. As K+S Program tradition, the goal is to make students more attuned to the needs of the agricultural industry. This tour included a visit to China Agricultural University – Sierte Research Base of Soil testing and Fertilization Recommendation Exhibition center which showed the production and processing techniques of sulfuric acid, potassium sulfate, compound fertilizers and organic fertilizers, also it presented the test methods of nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and chlorine in fertilizers.
Day 1
There are 26 teachers and students from K+S Program visited the soil testing and fertilization demonstration center. The tour guide firstly introduced the company profile Anhui Sierte Fertilizer Industry has four fertilizer production bases, two raw material bases, eight registered brands and more than 400 kinds of products. Over the past 20 years, the company has formed the spirit of Sierte craftsman and led the company to develop continuously. We learned about the development history of China and the international fertilizer industry by walking through the first and second floor of the center. The center presented a clear demonstration of the fertilizer process in the form of a technology model which displayed soil from all over the country occupying three big walls. It gives people a sense of shock. Through technology, light can be cast on the earthen pot at pointed place, which gives students a special experience.
After visiting the center, the technicinan explained the content and requirements of fertilizer labeling which enabled the students to have some knowledge of various signs on fertilizer packaging, and had a better understanding to distinguish the true and false fertilizer packaging.
Day 2
We visited the fertilizer and organic fertilizer production base. All kinds of reaction tanks, pipelines and storage tanks must be used under the strict technological process. SMOKE are strictly prohibited in the factory. Under the guidance of technical staff, we have a basic understanding of the fertilizer production process and precautions.In the afternoon，we went to the organic fertilizer production base. The technician told us that the organic fertilizer production was based on the waste of local characteristic crops, such as pecan shell, bamboo shoot shell and straw, which was match the concept of ecological and environmental protection. He also mentioned that there were certain routes and indicators for organic fertilizer production, but the models could be varied and it is worth to study further which models are capable of producing high-quality biofertilisers under local conditions.
Day 3
We were divided into four groups under the supervision of the experimental staff, the contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and chlorine in the fertilizer were determined respectively, which enabled us to master the determination and analysis method of basic nutrients in the fertilizer.
Three days internship finished, we have learned a lot from outside the class. Visiting the exhibition center and fertilizer and organic fertilizer production base, we truly felt the production frontier. During this tour, we all felt the craftsman spirit of the fertilizer producer, which was an inspiration for the students' study and work afterwards.
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