Sir John Bennet Lawes invented artificial fertilizer when he discovered superphosphates, his name for the combination of rock phosphate with sulfuric acid. The synthesis of fertilizer had profound implications on agricultural practices, as it freed farmers from absolute dependence on animals to produce manure to feed and nourish their crops. Lawes famously stated that his discovery of synthetic fertilizer established that agriculture can be an artificial process, or one that is not completely bound to the vagaries of nature. In the practical realm, his discovery led to the establishment of the fertilizer industry, which became an important segment; in the scientific realm, Lawes collaborated with Sir Joseph Henry Gilbert to found the Rothamsted Experimental Station (RES), where the pair performed their “classical experiments” on the effects of artificial fertilizers on soil conditions and crop yields.
John Bennet Lawes was born on December 28, 1814, at Harpenden, in Hertfordshire, England. His father owned the Rothamsted estate, which Lawes inherited in 1822. After several unsuccessful attempts at obtaining a university education (studying at University College, London under A. T. Thomson, at Eton College, and at Oxford’s Brasenose College), Lawes returned to farm the family manor in 1834.
Over the next eight years, Lawes experimented with both organic and inorganic fertilizers. Traditionally, farmers fertilize with manure, thus making them dependent on animals to produce this natural fertilizer. Seeking to free farmers from this dependence, Lawes experimented with the use of ground-up animal bones, which proved to be an excellent fertilizer. He subsequently discovered that sulfuric acid, a cheap byproduct of many industrial applications, could perform the same function as grinding at much less expense. His next innovation was to substitute rock phosphate, derived from the petrified residues of bird excreta, for the animal bone, which had the same limiting effects as manure.
Read more
