Potash Industry Mining and Processing Equipment

JNE Welding works with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for the mining industry to fabricate mining and processing equipment for the potash industry. From chutes and ducting to structural fabrications JNE can provide custom fabrication for the potash extraction and milling processes. JNE has fabricated:

• Froth Tanks
• Dilution Tanks
• Cyclopacs
• Crystallization Tanks
• Thickener Tanks
• Warm water Tanks
• Thickener overflow Tanks
• Brine Tanks
• Pumpboxes
• Evaporator Tanks
• Surge Bins
• And more

About Potash Experience

Potash refers to salts that contain potassium. The potash industry refers both to miners and manufacturers of potash. The primary consumer of potash byproducts is agriculture. Potash can provide potassium in soluble form and therefore makes a good fertilizer for plants. Top soil typically also contains potassium but unfortunately not in a soluble form. Potassium is one of the three main nutrients for plant growth, the other two being nitrogen and phosphorus.

One source of potassium is sea brine. This is the reason why potash deposits are buried dried out inland seas. Over time, the left-over potassium salt deposits are buried by sediment.

Potash is usually too deep for surface mining and is mined by either traditional shaft mining or solution mining. In shaft mining, a vertical shaft is drilled to reach the potash deposit this allows the installation of lifts to bring workers and equipment to the deposit. Alternatively, solution mining pumps solution into the potash deposits and pumps the dissolved potash back to the surface for recovery.

Potash can be processed either chemically, mechanically or a combination of both. The mechanical method involves flotation and the chemical method involves hot leaching.

Raw ore must be first crushed and ground to reduce the particle size and allow separation of potash from other materials usually the clay associated with potash deposits.