Overview <strong>of</strong> <strong>Phosphate</strong> Rock <strong>and</strong> <strong>Potash</strong> <strong>Mining</strong> <strong>and</strong> BeneficiationSurface brine deposits are exploited using solar evaporationponds to concentrate <strong>and</strong> precipitate thepotash. The evaporation ponds are extensive, withsome operations covering in excess <strong>of</strong> 90 square kilometers<strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong> area to produce around 8 milliontonnes <strong>of</strong> potash ore per year.Washing plant - Office Chérifien des <strong>Phosphate</strong>s (OCP),Khouribga, MoroccoConventional mechanized underground mining operationsare the most widely used method for theextraction <strong>of</strong> potash ore. A variety <strong>of</strong> mining techniques<strong>and</strong> equipment may be employed dependingon factors such as: the orebody depth, geometry,thickness <strong>and</strong> consistency, the geological <strong>and</strong> geotechnicalconditions <strong>of</strong> the ore <strong>and</strong> surrounding rock, <strong>and</strong>the presence <strong>of</strong> overlying aquifers. Methods in widespreaduse include variations <strong>of</strong> room <strong>and</strong> pillar,longwall, cut <strong>and</strong> fill, <strong>and</strong> open stope techniques.10Port, Jorf Lasfar - Office Chérifien des <strong>Phosphate</strong>s (OCP),Morocco2.3 <strong>Potash</strong> <strong>Mining</strong> <strong>and</strong> Beneficiation<strong>Potash</strong> is a generic term applied to all potassium saltsthat are used as fertilizers.<strong>Potash</strong> <strong>Mining</strong><strong>Potash</strong> ore is extracted from two major ore deposittypes, deeply buried marine evaporite deposits thattypically range from 400 metres to greater than 1,000metres below the surface, <strong>and</strong> surface brine depositsassociated with saline water bodies such as the DeadSea in the Middle East <strong>and</strong> the Great Salt Lake inNorth America.Most potash is sourced from buried deposits usingconventional mechanized underground mining methods,though solution mining methods also areemployed. Generally these underground operationsproduce between 1 to 10 million tonnes <strong>of</strong> potash oreper year. The l<strong>and</strong> area affected is typically confined tothe immediate area <strong>of</strong> the shaft, plant <strong>and</strong> waste disposalarea but may be up to several square kilometers.After the ore is extracted, it is generally transferred bybridge conveyor, shuttle cars or load-haul-dump unitsto a system <strong>of</strong> conveyors that carry it to undergroundstorage bins, prior to haulage to the surface through ashaft by automated skips. On rare occasions shallowmines may use a decline <strong>and</strong> conveyor arrangement.Solution mining is currently used at a number <strong>of</strong>operations in North America. The process relies onthe greater solubility at elevated temperatures in brine<strong>of</strong> sylvite in comparison to salt (NaCl). Commonly,brine is heated on the surface then injected into theorebody through wells. The heated brine absorbssylvite from the orebody <strong>and</strong> is then pumped back tothe surface to a series <strong>of</strong> ponds, where the potash precipitatesas the brine cools. The potash is recoveredfrom the ponds by dredges <strong>and</strong> pumped to the plantfor processing. The brine is heated again <strong>and</strong> theprocess repeated. An advantage <strong>of</strong> the method is thatit allows ore extraction at greater depths than withconventional underground mining methods.<strong>Potash</strong> mine head <strong>and</strong> plant - <strong>Potash</strong> Corporation <strong>of</strong>Saskatchewan (PCS), Canada
<strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Aspects</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Phosphate</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Potash</strong> <strong>Mining</strong>Continuous mining machine - <strong>Potash</strong> Corporation <strong>of</strong>Saskatchewan (PCS), CanadaLongwall mining - Mines de Potasses d'Alsace, FranceDrilling holes for blasting explosive - Kali und Salz GmbH,GermanyContinuous mining machine - <strong>Potash</strong> Corporation <strong>of</strong>Saskatchewan (PCS), CanadaLoader (LHD-Load, hold, dump unit) - Kali und SalzGmbH, Germany
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