| Company | Nutrien |
| Date | 2021 |
| Region | Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Commodities | Potash |
| Status | Operating |
Executive Summary
The Allan mine has been successfully mining and concentrating potash ore to produce saleable quantities of high-grade finished potash products since 1968. The facility produces granular, standard, and industrial grade potash primarily used for agricultural applications and industrial purposes. Products are sold and shipped to markets in North America and offshore.
Processing at the Allan mill utilizes both flotation methods and crystallization methods to concentrate potash ore into finished potash products. Raw potash ore is processed on surface, resulting in concentrated finished potash products that are near-pure KCl. Quality control testing and monitoring are conducted on a continual basis at all Nutrien minesites and at Nutrien research facilities to optimize circuit performance and ensure product quality.
Over the past three years, production of finished potash products at Allan has remained consistent, with 2019 producing 2.178 million tonnes, 2020 producing 2.792 million tonnes, and 2021 producing 2.781 million tonnes. The average grade for these years was approximately 61.20% K2O. Over the past decade, actual mill recovery rates have been between 83.1% and 87.0%, averaging 85.9%. Given the long-term experience with potash geology and actual mill recovery at Allan, no fundamental potash milling problems are anticipated in the foreseeable future.
Recovery Methods
Both flotation methods and crystallization methods are used to concentrate potash ore into finished potash products at the Allan mill. A simplified process flow diagram is shown in Figure 19. Raw potash ore is processed on surface, and concentrated finished potash products (near-pure KCl) are sold and shipped to markets in North America and offshore.
Over the past three years, production of finished potash products at Allan was:
2019: 2.178 million tonnes finished potash products at 61.20% K2O (average grade)
2020: 2.792 million tonnes finished potash products at 61.20% K2O (average grade)
2021: 2.781 million tonnes finished potash products at 61.17% K2O (average grade)
Over the past decade actual mill recovery rates have been between 83.1% and 87.0%, averaging 85.9% (see Figure 20). Given the long-term experience with potash geology and actual mill recovery at Allan, no fundamental potash milling problems are anticipated in the foreseeable future.
Quality control testing and monitoring geared towards fine-tuning and optimizing potash milling and concentrating processes are conducted on an continual basis at all Nutrien minesites and at Nutrien research facilities. At Allan, this is no exception; test work to optimize circuit performance and ensure product quality is carried out on an ongoing basis.
Website: https://www.nutrien.com/about/our-business/locations?tab=potash
Report Date: 2021
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Project Status: Operating
Commodity: Potash
Throughput:
Mine Life:
Mine Type:
Ore type:
Technical report and processing history
The following archived source profiles have been consolidated here to preserve the project’s processing history and study context.
Allan Mine — 2017 Technical Report
Allan Mine — 2017 Technical Report
| Company | PotashCorp |
| Date | 2017 |
| Region | Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Commodities | Potash |
Executive Summary
The Allan mine has been mining and concentrating potash ore since 1968 to produce saleable quantities of high grade finished potash products. Products include granular, standard, and industrial grade potash used for agricultural applications and industrial purposes. Both flotation methods and crystallization methods are used to concentrate potash ore into finished potash products at the Allan mill.
Over the past three years, production of finished potash products at Allan ranged from 1.832 million tonnes in 2017 to 2.380 million tonnes in 2016. Average grades were approximately 61.2% K2O. Actual mill recovery rates over the past decade have been between 81.5% and 86.8%, averaging 84.3%.
Quality control testing and monitoring geared towards fine-tuning and optimizing potash milling and concentrating processes are conducted on an ongoing basis at all PotashCorp minesites and at PotashCorp research facilities. No fundamental potash milling problems are anticipated in the foreseeable future given the long-term experience with potash geology and actual mill recovery at Allan.
Website: https://www.nutrien.com/about/our-business/locations?tab=potash
Report Date: 2017
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Project Status:
Commodity: Potash
Throughput:
Mine Life:
Mine Type:
Ore type:
