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How to Extract KNO3 From Dirt

Potassium nitrate (KNO3) has been used in the production of gunpowder, dynamite fuses and gun cotton. Most sources of KNO3 are from green plants and wood ashes, but the best source is cow manure. The best kind of dirt to use to obtain KNO3 is fertile farmland or pasture dirt that contains high amounts of nitrogen from exposure to fertilizer or cow manure. The process of extracting the KNO3 from the dirt is accomplished using materials commonly found around the house.

Things You'll Need

Tarp
Cinder blocks
Nonporous lining
Planting soil which includes green plants and wood ashes
Potato leaves
Cow manure
Straw
Cow urine
5-gallon bucket
Cotton cloth
Wood ash
Boiling water
Drip pan
Bucket supports
Heat source
Paper filter
Evaporating dishes

Instructions

Concentration of KNO3
- 1
  Place a tarp or nonporous lining on the ground to build your pile of organic matter to extract KNO3 from the matter.
- 2
  Build a structure of two opposing sidewalls over the pile by stacking cinder blocks in along the two sides. Drape a tarp over the top of the pile to prevent any rain from washing the KNO3 out of the dirt.
- 3
  Collect together potato leaves, cow manure and planting dirt. Mix the components together and spread out nonporous material under the tarp. Continue to create a pile of organic material. Once the pile is finished, spread a layer of straw over the top and allow to rest.
- 4
  Pour stale cow urine over the top of the pile. Every week for the next three or four months, pour a quantity of stale cow urine over the straw. Watch the top of the pile for the appearance of yellow crystals to form.
- 5
  Remove the top 10cm of the pile and proceed with the extracting the KNO3. Each subsequent layer of dirt in the pile will develop crystals. As a new layer of crystals appear, remove it and process it for the recovery of KNO3.
Extraction of KNO3 From Dirt
- 6
  Put many small holes in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket to allow liquid to flow out of it. Generate a filter by lining the bottom of the bucket with a layer of cotton cloth. Load a layer of wood ash onto the cloth to a thickness of about one-half inch and place a second layer of cotton cloth on top.
- 7
  Fill the bucket approximately three-quarters full with dirt from the pile.
- 8
  Place the drip pan under the bucket and support the bucket over the drip pan with blocks of wood or other support materials. Make sure the bottom of the bucket will not contact the liquid that filters from the bucket.
- 9
  Pour 2 gallons of boiling water through the dirt in the bucket and collect the drippings in the drip pan under the bucket. Allow time for the water to completely flow through dirt and filter.
- 10
  Reheat the liquid in the drip pan to near boiling. Filter the drippings in the pan through a paper filter, such as a coffee filter, while the liquid is still close to boiling. To maximize your time efficiency, you can boil off most of the liquid before filtering.
- 11
  Pour the remaining liquid into large flat evaporating dishes. The larger the surface area of the dishes, the less time will be required to dry. The crystals remaining in the bottom of the dishes are crystals of KNO3.
- 12
  Scrape the crystals together and store in a watertight vessel.

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