Potash

Challenges

The contest for profits and more-and-better potash is escalating. The winners will be companies that can reap the most value from their investments from both the product itself, and from the assets they need to extract it, refine it, and get it to market.

Established producers will be searching for new operational efficiencies and logistical opportunities. Continuous improvement and modernization will be essential. It is important to draw on knowledge of potash mining and processing to create innovative solutions that drive performance, trim operating costs, and reduce the need for new capital expenditures.

New entrants will face a different set of challenges including high capital costs, financing pressures, and other barriers to market entry. They'll need new strategies and all the advantages modern technology can give them. Credible, innovative process designs that drive cost effectiveness will be key.

Capabilities

Mining, hoisting systems, and logistics

For years, our clients have relied on us for advice and support to design, select, and optimize mine and hoisting systems. We streamline mine logistics and underground storage systems, maximizing time on continuous potash miners and stockpile-and-storage bins to make the most of hoisting systems.

Solution mining and brine ponds

Processing brine from potash solution mining and shallow brine-extraction wells is a core capability of ours. We're specialists in well-field development and brine or slurry pumping systems. We couple these with downstream processing in solar evaporation ponds, cooling crystallization ponds, or mechanical evaporation and crystallization circuits.

Potash compaction plants

Potash producers must meet increasingly tight product-quality requirements. At the same time, they're working to improve plant efficiencies and conversion rates. Experience with compaction projects has given us the skills to help deliver: process consulting services, feasibility studies, technology evaluation, equipment selection, specialized equipment design, modeling, and full EPCM services for potash compaction plants.

Potash market studies and due diligence

We partner with both investment and commercial banks, equity funds, bondholders, attorneys, and operating companies. Together, we provide our clients with thorough due diligence assessments – financial, operational, technological, environmental, market, and commercial. Our technical reviews and global surveys help clients evaluate potash assets before they acquire them.

Process modeling, debottlenecking, and optimization

Start with process-and-engineering know-how. Add modeling-and-simulation expertise. The result? Cost-efficient, robust designs. We use advanced computational tools for capacity planning, debottlenecking, rail-and-port logistics, and process optimization. Design capability, capital effectiveness, and operational efficiency all follow.

Operational performance

Our local teams blend process expertise, operational understanding, and project delivery excellence. They work side-by-side with our clients to achieve measurable results. We're capable and experienced in operational readiness; asset and structural integrity management; maintenance support; operational improvement; sustaining projects; engineering services; and shutdown services.

Blogs

Shaping the future of mine waste management: how innovative solutions are helping us operate more sustainably

Rafael Dávila

As one of the largest producers of waste in the world, it’s incumbent on the metals and minerals industry to work together to find new ways to operate more sustainably. How we manage our tailings is of critical importance to the safe and sustainable production of the world’s metals and minerals—and to the condition of our planet overall.

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