Potash Presentation IPNL

Potassium Fertilizer
Production and
Technology
Potassium Cycles through Complicated Ecosystems

to Sustain Plant and Animal Life
Potassium Is Essential
for Plants
Taken up by the plant as K+
Does not form organic compounds in the plant
Is vital to photosynthesis and protein synthesis
Is associated with many metabolic functions
Essential role for regulating leaf

stomata and controlling water use
Potassium and Animal Nutrition

Potassium is essential for many metabolic functions
It maintains salt balance between cells and body fluids
Adequate K is essential for nerve function and preventing muscle cramps
It is routinely added to many animal feeds
Since K+ is not stored in the human body,

dietary replacement is required on a regular basis.
Government agencies state that:
diets containing foods that are good sources
of potassium and low in sodium may reduce
the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
The History of Potash

Element symbol K comes from Latin Kalium
Allow trees to bioaccumulate K and
boil wood ash to recover nutrients
Wood ash boiled in pots (pot-ash)
Not a sustainable practice
Potassium Fertilizer Is Mined and Produced in

Many Parts of The World
Many other deposits are located throughout the world

(size of dot proportional to production in 2009)
Where Does Potash Come From?

All commercial potash deposits come from marine sources:
1. Ancient seas that are now buried
2. Salt water brines
Some Common
Potassium-Containing
Minerals
Mineral
Composition
K2O content
(approx %)
Chlorides:
Sylvinite
Sylvite
Carnalite
Kainite
KClNaCl
KCl
KClMgCl26H2O
4KCl4MgSO411H2O
28
63
17
18
Sulfates:
Polyhalite
Langbeinite
Schoenite
K2SO42MgSO42CaSO42H2O
K2SO42MgSO4
K2SO4MgSO44H2O
15
22
23
Nitrates:
Niter
KNO3
46
Potash Is Obtained By:
Shaft mining
Most potash deposits are too deep

underground for surface mining
Solution mining
Evaporation of brines
Water bodies such as

the Dead Sea and
the Great Salt Lake
The Largest Potash

Deposits Are Deep
Beneath the Earths
Surface
Potash recovery requires
complex and expensive
mining techniques
The depth of the ore may
limit access to the deposit
Potash Deposit
Example: Saskatchewan Deposits
Conventional
Shaft Mining
Vertical shafts drilled
to the depth of
potash deposit
Lifts are installed to
provide access for
equipment, workers,
and to remove ore
Conventional Shaft Mining

Vertical shafts drilled into the earth
Ore veins are extracted with machine mining or blast methods,
adapted to the specific geologic formation
Continuous mining machines are found in many varieties
adapted to the specific geologic formation

Deep horizontally-uniform ore veins
are mined with continuous mining machines
Drum-type continuous mining machine

Less uniform ore veins can be mined with rotary borers
Drum-type mining machines

Some ore veins are mined using blast methods
Adding explosive
prior to blast
Large underground chamber
Mining Techniques:
Long panels
Herringbone panels

Ore veins are mined
Broken ore is transported to skip with a conveyor belt or shuttle car
Potash ore may be transported many kilometers

from the mine face to the skip location

Ore veins are mined with rotary borers or blast methods
Broken ore is transported to skip with a conveyor belt or shuttle car
Hoists bring ore to the surface for further processing
Example of underground storage and ore hoisting
Ore Storage
Crusher
to processing
Potash Deposit
Hoist System
to Transport
Ore to Surface
Crushing and Grinding
Reduce the particle size to

<2 mm prior to separating the
potash minerals from the clay
and other salts
Scrubbing and Desliming (Wet Separation)
Potash ore is
rinsed and agitated
with a saturated
salt solution to
remove clay and
impurities
Martin
Mraz
Martin
Mraz
Flotation Separation
Amine reagents coat KCl but not NaCl
Air bubbles cling to amine and float KCl to surface
while NaCl and clay sink to bottom
KCl
`
NaCl
Flotation
Potassium-containing
minerals rise to the surface
of the flotation cells and then
skimmed off
Heavy-Media Separation of KCl from NaCl

Mineral
Density (g/cm3)
KCl
1.99
NaCl
2.16
2.83
K.MgSO4
2.96
CaSO4
Magnetite
5.18
In a solution with a density between 1.99

and 2.16 g/cm3, KCl will float and NaCl
will sink allowing mineral separation
Ground magnetite mineral is added
to the brine to reach 2.08 g/cm3 density.
33)
Mineral
Density
(g/cm
Mineral
Density (g/cm )
KCl:
1.99
KCl:
1.99
NaCl
2.16
NaCl
2.16
CaSO4
2.96
2.96
CaSO4
Langbeinite
2.82
2.82
Langbeinite
Magnetite is recovered with

magnets and reused
KCl
NaCl
Magnetite
Final Steps: Dewatering and Sizing

A final rinse with saturated brine water and then
the finished product is dewatered, centrifuged, dried,
and compacted to desired particle sizes
Compacting
Compacting produces granular material
by compressing fine particles of hot
KCl in a roller press
The sheet of pressed flakes is
crushed and screened to uniform sizes
Crystallization
The process to make pure and totally soluble KCl
Hot-process: KCl is dissolved in boiling water to dissolve
NaCl and KCl.
As the hot brine cools, salts differentially crystallize and are
removed from solution.
Granular grade
Cold process: KCl solubility is lower in cold temperatures

than Na and Mg salts, allowing crystallization and separation
Soluble grade
Electrostatic Separation (Dry Separation)

Mixed ore
Tube electrode
Cleaning brushes
KCl
Tube electrode
Cleaning brushes
Electrostatic generator
provides static charge to
some minerals:
Non-conductive KCl is
separated from charged NaCl
NaCl
Solution Mining
Used when potash deposits are very deep,
have irregular deposits, or have become
flooded
Evaporation
Submersible pumps lift the brine to

evaporation ponds where the potash
crystallizes and settles to the bottom
Surface Ponds
Injection Well
Heated salt water is injected

into the mine and circulated
to dissolve potash minerals
and salt from the walls
Solution Mining Example
Brine brought
to surface from
depth of 1000 m
Evaporated
in 180 ha of vinyllined solar ponds
Potash Production Also Occurs

from Natural Salt Brines
Tailing Disposal
Common potash ores, such as sylvinite, contains
up to 50% NaCl, up to 15% clay
After potash is removed, separated salt and clay are
backfilled into the mine or stockpiled into a tailing management area
Tailings solidify into

rock-like mass (mostly NaCl)
Managed to minimize
off-site movement
Copyright Dennis Harries 2008
Copyright Dennis Harries 2008
Storage
Shipping Potash Fertilizers
2009 Global Potash Use, %

Western
Europe
7
Other Asia
China
21
12
India 14
17
14
Brazil
15
U.S.A.
All Others
Potassium Chloride
(Muriate of Potash; MOP)
KCl
Grade: 60 to 63% K2O; 46%Cl
Primarily mined as sylvinite ore
containing KCl and NaCl
Milling and a floatation agent
used to separate salts
Many colors and sizes available
Traces of iron oxide give some
particles a reddish tint
Potassium Sulfate
(Sulfate of Potash; SOP)
K2SO4
Grade: 48 to 53% K2O
17 to 18% S
Rarely found in pure form in nature
Generally produced by manipulating
potash ores to remove other materials
Valued when both K and S are needed
for plant nutrition
Potassium Magnesium Sulfate

(Langbeinite)
K2SO42MgSO4
Grade: 20 to 22% K2O
21 to 22% S
10 to 11% Mg
Distinct geologic material found in
only a few places in the world
Generally produced by manipulating
potash ores to remove other
materials
Valued when both K, S, and Mg are
needed for plant nutrition
Potassium Nitrate
(Nitrate of Potash; NOP)
KNO3
Grade: 44% K2O
13% N
Made by reacting KCl with
nitrate salts or nitric acid
Valued when both K and N
are needed for plant
nutrition
Other Potassium Fertilizers

Small quantities of specialty potash
fertilizers are made for unique crop
or soil conditions, such as:
Potassium
Potassium
thiosulfate
thiosulfate
Potassium phosphate (KH2PO4)

Potassium carbonate (K2CO3)
Potassium hydroxide (KOH)
Potassium thiosulfate (K2S2O3)
All are manufactured from basic

potash materials
Environmental Concerns
with Potash
Potash fertilizer has no significant impacts on water or air quality

Adequate potash is required for plants to use other essential
nutrients. Healthy crop growth and efficient nutrient recovery
results from balanced nutrition
Potash applications should be guided by soil
and plant tissue testing where possible
Mine tailings require management to avoid off-site
movement of salt and water
Potash Fertilizers All Supply the Same

Nutrient in the Soil
KCl
K+ + Cl-
2K+ + 2Mg2+
+ 3SO42-
2K+ + S2O32K2SO4
K2S2O3
2K+ + SO42-
K+ + H2PO4KNO3
K2SO4
2MgSO4
K+ + NO3-
KH2PO4
High Yielding Crops Remove

Large Amounts of K
Potassium is essential for many metabolic
functions that directly impact crop yield and quality
Crop
Cotton
Rice
Alfalfa
Yield/A
3 bales
70 cwt
8 tons
Nutrient
removal,
lb K2O/A
Yield,
mt/ha
Nutrient
removal,
kg K2O/ha
55
1.6
62
25
7.8
28
390
18
437
Maize
180 bu
45
11
50
Wheat
60 bu
20
22
Potato
500 cwt
275
56
310
Potash Applications to Soil

Potash is often spread across a field
or applied in concentrated bands
beneath the soil surface
Many application techniques are used
Potash fertilizer has limited mobility

in most soils
It is retained by soil colloids on
cation exchange sites
Potash Application
through Irrigation Systems
Most K fertilizers are very water soluble and many are suitable for use in
irrigation systems
Foliar Application
Many studies have demonstrated
benefits from foliar application to plants
to alleviate stress
Foliar K applications are supplemental
to the major supply of nutrients through the roots
Applications of K can alleviate mid-season

deficiencies or supplement the soil supply during
periods of peak demand by the plant
Additional information on
plant nutrient production
and management are
available from the IPNI website:
www.ipni.net
International Plant Nutrition Institute

3500 Parkway Lane, Suite 550
Norcross, Georgia 30092
USA
www.ipni.net
October 2010 Ref. #10121

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Potassium Fertilizer

Potassium Cycles through Complicated Ecosystems

Essential role for regulating leaf

Potassium and Animal Nutrition

Since K+ is not stored in the human body,

The History of Potash

Potassium Fertilizer Is Mined and Produced in

Many other deposits are located throughout the world

Where Does Potash Come From?

Potash Is Obtained By:

Most potash deposits are too deep

Water bodies such as

The Largest Potash

Example: Saskatchewan Deposits

Conventional Shaft Mining

Conventional Shaft Mining

Drum-type continuous mining machine

Conventional Shaft Mining

Drum-type mining machines

Conventional Shaft Mining

Large underground chamber

Conventional Shaft Mining

Potash ore may be transported many kilometers

Conventional Shaft Mining

Vertical shafts drilled into the earth

Example of underground storage and ore hoisting

Crushing and Grinding

Reduce the particle size to

Scrubbing and Desliming (Wet Separation)

Heavy-Media Separation of KCl from NaCl

In a solution with a density between 1.99

Magnetite is recovered with

Final Steps: Dewatering and Sizing

Cold process: KCl solubility is lower in cold temperatures

Electrostatic Separation (Dry Separation)

Submersible pumps lift the brine to

Heated salt water is injected

Solution Mining Example

Potash Production Also Occurs

Tailings solidify into

Copyright Dennis Harries 2008

Copyright Dennis Harries 2008

Shipping Potash Fertilizers

2009 Global Potash Use, %

Potassium Magnesium Sulfate

Other Potassium Fertilizers

Potassium phosphate (KH2PO4)

All are manufactured from basic

Potash fertilizer has no significant impacts on water or air quality

Potash Fertilizers All Supply the Same

High Yielding Crops Remove

Potash Applications to Soil

Potash fertilizer has limited mobility

Applications of K can alleviate mid-season

International Plant Nutrition Institute

October 2010 Ref. #10121

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