the potash story

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ThePotashStory

• An essential element for plant growth along with nitrogen and phosphates

• Helps plants use water and resist drought

• Belle Plaine mines potassium chloride, KCl– Solution mining yields pure white potash product

• 93% of potash produced world-wide is used as fertilizer

• Only 3% of the Earth’s surface is arable farmland

What is Potash?

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Saskatoon Belle Plaine Esterhazy

Saskatchewan Manitoba

Patience Lake Member…PLMBelle Plaine Member……BPMWhite Bear Member…….WBMEsterhazy Member………EM

Potash Formation in Saskatchewan

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Potash Mines in Saskatchewan

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Do we still make all these grades??

Grades of PotashIndustrialSpecial

IndustrialHigh Quality

Granular Standard Fine

Fertilizer • •Pharmaceuticals •Explosives •Feed Ingredients •Drilling Mud • • •Ice Melt • •Water Softener • • •Rocket Fuel • •Glass • •

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Solution MiningWhy Solution Mining?• Conventional mining is not

effective below 3600 feet• Access to more potash-

bearing formations• Purer product

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Solution Mining Recovery• Water is pumped into underground cavities• KCl dissolved into the liquid• Solution is pumped into the refinery

How it Works

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The Solubility of Potassium Chloride & Sodium Chloride

Solution mining is possible due to the solubility differences between NaCl and KCl

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• 2 Drilling Rigs, 8 Service Rigs on site• Drilling rigs typically drill 18 new wells per year• Utilizes conventional oil well drilling technology

– Customized for potash solution recovery

Mining Area:Our best kept secret

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Co-generative process:• Natural gas boilers produce high-

pressure steam• Steam creates 40 MW of power using

turbo-generators• Generator exhaust provides heat source

for refinery potash production & mining area injection water heat

• Only ~10% of the plant’s power needs come from the grid

Powerhouse

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• Eight 185,000 gallon 5-story tall evaporators lined up in 2 rows of four

• Series configuration creates multiple effect to better utilize steam

• Concentrate the solution from the minefield into a KCl-rich solution

Evaporators

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• Seven 120,000 gallon crystallizers convert the potash solution into crystal slurry by means of vacuum boiling, product separation, potash crystal growth and purification

Crystallizers

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Cooling Ponds• Secondary method of isolating KCl• Solution is cooled courtesy of Mother

Nature, causing KCl crystals to form and fall to the bottom of the ponds.– Utilizing Saskatchewan’s cold winters to our

advantage– Improves overall plant energy balance

• Dredges are used to harvest the product• “Free” crystallization

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