The April 2012 report for Potash Ridge's Beaver County project lists the likely unit operations and records Hazen flotation tests giving an 80% alunite concentrate at 80% recovery.
The Blawn Mountain Project is an alunite project in Beaver County, Utah, of Potash Corporation, Inc., with a technical report dated April 16, 2012. It would produce sulfate of potash (SOP), with an alumina stockpile as a further output. The report lists unit operations a commercial plant may include, and process optimization was continuing toward energy-efficient technologies, high product purity and water reuse.
Critical Data
| Parameter | Value | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report date | April 16, 2012 | Not applicable | Potash Corporation, Inc. |
| Flotation concentrate | 80 | % alunite | Hazen tests |
| Flotation recovery | 80 | % | Hazen tests |
Overview
Flotation would reduce silica in feed to drying and calcining. The report expects better product quality, lower energy use, smaller downstream equipment and a smaller plant footprint if that testwork succeeds.
Key Process Stages
Crushing and flotation. Primary crushing and stockpiling lead to secondary and tertiary crushing and screening, then flotation.
Drying and calcining. Feed or concentrate is dried and calcined. Off-gas cleaning recovers sulfuric acid for storage and handling.
Leaching and crystallization. Water leaches potassium sulfate from the calcine. Solid-liquid separation and solution purification precede evaporation and crystallization.
Product. Potassium sulfate is dried, compacted, packaged and loaded out.
Additional Interesting Data and Summary
Ancillary needs include groundwater harvesting, treatment and storage, reuse of treated effluents, and process residue management. Comminution testwork by Hazen on a bulk sample covered Bond crushing, rod and ball mill work indices and abrasion.
Key Processes
- Crushing and screening
- Flotation to reject silica
- Drying and calcining with sulfuric acid recovery
- Water leaching of calcine
- Evaporation and crystallization of potassium sulfate
- Drying, compacting and load out
Source: Technical Report, Blawn Mountain Project, Beaver County, Utah, Potash Corporation, Inc., April 16, 2012.
