Triple superphosphate is a component of

fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

that primarily consists of monocalcium phosphate, Ca(H₂PO₄)₂. Triple superphosphate is obtained by treating phosphate rock with phosphoric acid. Traditional routes for extraction of phosphate rock uses sulfuric acid gives single superphosphate, an approximate 1:1 mixture of Ca(H₂PO₄)₂ and CaSO₄ phosphogypsum). Double superphosphate refers to some average of triple- and single superphosphate, resulting from the extraction of phosphate rock with a mixture of phosphoric and sulfuric acids. Many fertilizers are derived from triple superphosphate, e.g. by blending with

ammonium sulfate Ammonium sulfate (American English and international scientific usage; ammonium sulphate in British English); (NH4)2SO4, is an inorganic salt with a number of commercial uses. The most common use is as a soil fertilizer. It contains 21% nitroge ...

and

potassium chloride Potassium chloride (KCl, or potassium salt) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. It is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance. The solid dissolves readily in water, and its solutions have a sa ...

. Typical fertilizer-grade triple superphosphate contains 45% P₂O₅eq, single superphosphate 20% P₂O₅eq.

References

Food additives Phosphates Calcium compounds Inorganic fertilizers {{chem-stub