How is nitric acid used across fertilizers, nylon, and explosives, and what does this mean for demand diversification?

How is nitric acid used across fertilizers, nylon, and explosives, and what does this mean for demand diversification?
Nitric acid's largest use is reacting with ammonia to form ammonium nitrate fertilizer, historically the leading nitrogen fertilizer before urea scaled up. Due to explosion risks, many countries now restrict pure ammonium nitrate, promoting blends like calcium ammonium nitrate. A second major outlet is adipic acid production for nylon, where nitric acid oxidizes cyclohexanol. This was pioneered by DuPont in the 1930s and remains vital in China, where nylon is called jinlun after Jinzhou. Nitric acid also nitrates benzene to nitrobenzene, a precursor to aniline for dyes, pharmaceuticals, and rubber chemicals. With sulfuric acid, it produces TNT explosives and nitrocellulose for plastics like celluloid. This diversification means demand is not tied to a single sector, but fertilizer remains the swing factor.