and now for something completely different

I asked at school and the professor told us to throw it in the garden. Plants want nitrate, not electrolytes!

That was neat but I can use the school's Glowforge to get the same result.
 
Very cool

It would be fun to see the different powder types and their result to the art produced.
The video looks like good old ball type powder, I wonder what effect extruded type powders might have.
I would guess that good old holy black powder would just make a mess.
 
4V50Gary, gunpowder as a fertilizer is probably as controversial as our upcoming elections. I've read it is not a good fertilizer and I can agree with that because I have never seen the lawn get greener where I spread gunpowder compared to other lawn areas.

But a quick internet search reveals opinions differ:

"In general gunpowder is composed of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur. The ratio of these three changes throughout history, so without having it analyzed there's no way to determine how much of each of these elements you would be applying. I would not apply anything to your garden soil has an unknown chemical composition and/or that isn't called for by a soil test. Overapplication of things like potassium nitrate and sulfur can be damaging to soil and plant health."

"Old powder makes great fertilizer for the lawn.”So sprinkle it in your garden or lawn and water it down." (my note: try putting some in glass of water and see if dissolves...)

"Smokeless powders DO NOT "make good fertilizer" so don't dump it on your lawn; this is a long-standing myth. Smokeless powders are boiled for up to several days as part of the manufacturing process, so they're not going to dissolve into your lawn."

"In smaller amounts, your smokeless gunpowder can actually be used as a rather effective fertilizer. Gunpowder has high nitrogen content, which can be really good for your plant’s growth. An eco-friendly way of disposing of your gunpowder is by lightly dusting the soil of your plans with it."
 
Addendum: Ammonium nitrate is HIGHLY soluble in water, but if you heat the water it decomposes to a gas, Nitrous oxide. So if you apply gunpowder to your lawn on a hot day and "water it in" it may not work. On a cool day, that may be a different story. Maybe that's why there is so much controversy.....
 
The nitrogen in smokeless powder is sequestered and not available for use by plants.
Not only that, but some of the trace chemicals are extremely toxic to many species - particularly aquatic species.

Burn it. Burn it all.
Not only is that the best disposal method, but it is the most fun, as well.
 
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