The Origins of Potash Potassium is one of the most abundant
elements occurring in the earth's crust, ranked seventh among
the naturally occurring elements. Potassium naturally forms salt
compounds, which usually consist of either potassium chloride or
potassium carbonate that are known as potash. The term "potash”
originated from the old method of separating potassium salts
from trees by burning and other leaching methods. The white ash
that remained was called pot-ash. Over time potash became the
term used to describe all types of potassium salts, obtained by
leaching methods and by potash mining. Potash is obtained almost
exclusively through potash mining these days due to the large
deposits that have been discovered in the earth's crust. Canada
is currently the largest producer of potash in the world. As a
result there are numerous potash exploration and potash mining
companies originating in Canada. Some of these larger potash
companies are also developing potash projects in other countries
such as Africa