Siv Padhy reports that 4 primary types of potash ore are commonly produced.. polyhalite, langbeinite, sylvinite (S) and carnallite(C). S and C are the most abundant sources of potash, but C is considered less desirable of the two. Part of the reason is that C cannot be mined using conventional techniques, it is simply too soluble to be mined and processing C can require more energy than processing S. Despite those challenges, C does come with a few niche benefits.
C is generally harder to mine and process than S. For that reason, it is useful to consider S mining and processing when looking at the value and drawbacks of C.
S is made up of the salts potassium chloride and sodium chloride, and has been mined and processed in abundance by major potash companies like Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan and Mosaic for many years. The process typically involves these steps ...
1. Underground Mining... Potash ore is blasted and transferred to the surface via a shaft.
2. Crushing ... The ore is crushed, ground and de-slimed.
3. Processing by Float .... A flotation process separates potash from a salt mixture.
4. Centrifuging by Spin ... Centrifuges separate potash particles from brine.
5. Crystaliztion ... Potash concentrate is sized, compacted and crystallized.
Those steps are not simple, but are well understood and can easily be used to process sylvinite ore. Many companies prefer sylvinite to carnallite for this reason.
Unlike S, C can not be mined and processed using conventional methods. Solution mining has to be used instead, which consists of drilling holes into an ore body and pumping heated water into the deposit. The heated water dissolves C and brine, allowing them to be pumped out through the holes. The pumped solution goes through an evaporation process that removes water and magnesium chloride and leaves potassium chloride and sodium chloride.
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