Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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FERTILIZER MINERALS JUNE 2016 • E&MJ; 43 www.e-mj.com this seasonally slow period," said senior vice president, Rick McLellan. Presi- dent and CEO Joc O'Rourke added," The long-term positive outlook for phosphates has not changed, but we are adjusting our production levels to match immediate demand." K+S is anticipating lower potash sales this year as the market downturn contin- ues. "Along with intense competition, an ongoing diffcult economic situation in the emerging market countries is ex- pected, continued low agricultural prices, and less availability of credit for farmers, particularly in Latin America," the com- pany explained. Commenting on its annual results, Uralkali CEO Dmitry Osipov noted that 2015 was a challenging year for the pot- ash industry, with signifcantly weaker de- mand in key markets in the fourth quarter of 2015. "However, in the long term, we remain optimistic on potash industry fun- damentals," he said. Whether that optimism is justifed remains to be seen, however. Demand for both potash and phosphate rock hinges on factors beyond ordinary com- modity market mechanisms, and with signifcant new capacity now under development when demand is already weak, it is diffcult to foresee improve- ments forthcoming any time soon. The world needs food, and crops need fertil- izers; the challenge will be to achieve a new market balance. OCP Invests in Technology Two papers presented at SYMPHOS 2015, the third Internation- al Symposium on Innovation and Technology in the Phosphate Industry, focused on aspects of the technology being introduced to OCP's operations. The pipeline that carries phosphate slurry from the mines to the coast, buried to minimize its environmental and social impact, can handle up to 4,400 mt/h, depending on the slurry properties. The entire network encompasses 227 km of pipe, including feeder and other systems, and can handle different grades of phosphate; individual batches are separated by plugs of water to minimize intermixing. Utilizing 36-in. pipe for the main run, this is the largest-diameter slurry pipeline ever to be built, with an overall fall along the 187-km length from 775 m to 66 m above sea level. Thus, gravity is the main driver for the system, with pumps only used over the frst 30 km. Raw ore is crushed and processed by fotation to produce a concentrate for transport. At the Jorf Lasfar plants on the coast, export-grade material is fltered, dried and granulated, while lower-quality concentrate is further upgraded to form fertiliz- er-production feed. The second paper, presented by authors from FLSmidth, de- scribed OCP's use of the company's deep cone thickeners. The slurry arriving at Jorf Lasfar, containing around 50% solids by weight, is handled in a 20-m-diameter-deep cone thickener to produce a 63% solids pulp. This then forms the feed for reaction with sulphuric acid to produce phosphoric acid—the main inter- mediate for high-grade phosphate fertilizer production. According to FLSmidth, using this technology has allowed OCP to optimize its sulphuric acid consumption during the leaching process, while giving a better attack reaction by using a thicker pulp than was previously the case.