The success of South Australia as a fledgling Colony from the 1900’s onward, depended entirely upon “Superphosphate”

With the current de-construction of the old Adelaide Chemical & Fertilizer Company’s processing complex well underway, lets take a look back on the rich 100 year history of “superphosphate” manufacture in SA, one of Port Adelaide’s premier industry’s and it’s undeniable impact on the economy of South Australia.

The need to import sulphur from ‘Texas Gulf Sulphur’ in the USA, critical for the manufacture of bulk quantities of sulphuric acid, and the phosphate “guano” from the Pacific Islands … when blended appropriately, the chemistry produces agricultural magic … all of which came under threat of world war and global shortages, requiring creative solutions to achieve National autonomy.

Discover how creative engineering initiatives made the seemingly impossible loading of phosphate from harbor-less Islands a reality and the events that brought down the final curtain on manufacturing in SA.

Caption for the picture: acidulated phosphate being harvesting from a horizontal maturation den at the Adelaide Chemical & Fertilizer Company’s works at Port Adelaide (the birth of Superphosphate) circa.1920