Editing Potash (section)

===Other uses===
In addition to its use as a fertilizer, potassium chloride is important in many industrialized economies, where it is used in [[aluminium recycling]], by the [[chloralkali]] industry to produce potassium hydroxide, in metal [[electroplating]], oil-well [[drilling fluid]], snow and ice melting, steel heat-treating, in medicine as a treatment for [[hypokalemia]], and [[water softening]]. Potassium hydroxide is used for industrial water treatment and is the precursor of potassium carbonate, several forms of potassium phosphate, many other potassic chemicals, and soap manufacturing. Potassium carbonate is used to produce [[animal feed]] supplements, [[cement]], [[fire extinguishers]], food products, [[Photographic processing|photographic chemical]]s, and textiles. It is also used in [[brewing]] [[beer]], pharmaceutical preparations, and as a [[catalyst]] for [[synthetic rubber]] manufacturing. Also combined with [[silica sand]] to produce [[potassium silicate]], sometimes known as [[waterglass]], for use in [[paints]] and [[arc welding]] electrodes. These non-fertilizer uses have accounted for about 15% of annual potash consumption in the United States.<ref name=usgs2/>