Process for Making a Composite Granule With Rock Phosphate, Sulfur, and Humic Acid

A process for making a potassium humate, rock phosphate, sulfur composite granule, the process comprising:

• obtaining a sample of a carbonaceous substance comprising humic acid and one or more other substances;
• contacting the sample with an amount of an alkaline mixture, thereby forming an extraction mixture, the extraction mixture consisting essentially of a sludge component, the sludge component comprising, predominantly, the sample, and an extraction component, the extraction component comprising, predominantly, the alkaline mixture;
• maintaining the sludge component in contact with the extraction component for a period of time sufficient for the extraction component to become relatively enriched in humic acid and the sludge component to become relatively depleted of humic acid;
• separating the sludge component from the extraction component;
• spray drying the extraction component, thereby forming a plurality of powder potassium humate particles;
• obtaining a sulfur powder;
• combining a rock phosphorous powder, the sulfur powder, and the plurality of potassium humate powder particles, thereby forming a homogenized mixture,
• wherein the sulfur powder comprises about 1% to about 50% of the homogenized mixture;
• and
• compacting at least a portion of the homogenized mixture under conditions wherein the at least a portion of the homogenized mixture, as a result of the compacting, are made into a form of a granule;
• thereby making a composite granule comprising potassium humate, rock phosphate, and sulfur, wherein the composite granule has a pH of 2.5 to about 12.

A potassium humate, rock phosphorous, sulfur powder, the granule comprising:

• a fully soluble potassium humate component comprising about 0.10% to about 20% of the composite granule;
• a sulfur component comprising about 1% to about 50% of the composite granule;
• and
• a rock phosphate powder component comprising about 1% to about 97% of the composite composite;
• wherein composite granule is semi-soluble, and
• wherein the composite granule has a pH of 2.5 to about 12.