Investigating the process of Prikarpattya potash production plants’ waste recycling into marketable products

Abstract

The existing technology of potash fertilizer production based on the polymineral ores leaching with chloride solutions is inevitably accompanied by the large-tonnage wastes accumulation, with the loss of up to 50% of low-soluble potassium and other minerals. The developed cyclic process of ore leaching with sulphate solutions provides opportunities for an integrated processing of ore into marketable products using all ore’s components. The results of production researches on model samples of halite-langbeinite residue give evidence of the appropriateness of applying the stoichiometric normal value of the leaching sulphate solution, which, on the one hand, is sufficient for dissolved minerals complete to the liquid phase and on other does provide a complete recovery of the sulphate solution returned to the leaching process. This maintains the hydrodynamic regime stability. The implementation of the sulphate leaching technology allows to recycle the accumulated solid waste of potash production and to eliminate  new waste formation in the processing of freshly mined polymineral ore.