Press Releases
Potash fertilizer made from waste ley
| Impressive, and not only from the air,
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Better late than never. Sometimes even creative engineers celebrate their late successes. Almost 10 years after the presentation of the first feasibility study, it appears that Kali-Umwelttechnik GmbH of Sondershausen is finally profiting from their earlier development. Signs to this effect can now be seen at their Austrian partner company, Salinen Austria AG. The new procedure from Thuringia should create a small miracle in the alpine uplands. In short, this new procedure deals with the production of high-quality fertilizer, made from waste liquor that was almost ignored until now, the so-called elutriation of the mother liquor. An annual production of approximately 800,000 tonnes of salt generates many tonnes of this saline solution every hour. Up until now, the bulk of it was processed and the remainder was drained into the Traun Lake.
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Researchers from the city of Sondershausen, who hold several patents in the production of potassium sulphate, could prove that it is not only possible to produce a valuable fertilizer and common salt at the same time from the mother liquor, using a technical process, but that it is highly economical, too.
At the same time, a concept for the new facility was developed which comprises the four necessary process steps.
Using the K-UTEC process the Potash Environmental Technology which requires investments of approximately ten million Euros to start the operation, more than 95% of the previous waste lye can now be transformed into marketable products. The positive effects on the environment are also tremendous. Since the omission of the previous process, during which 30 tonnes/hour were repelled, this waste has now been reduced to 0.5 1.0 tonnes/hour. This will further reduce the impact on the ecosystem of the Traun region and the Traun Lake. In the future, it will be possible to produce nine tonnes of sodium chloride per hour in addition to the potassium sulphate, which is won from the saline solution.
According to information from Sondershausen, the process will be licensed to Salinen Austria AG and used for the first time in 2006. Dr. Holger Thoma, Managing Director of Kali-Umwelttechnik GmbH, can see the addition of five new jobs in the saline production plant. It can be clearly said, that this new innovation contributes to the preservation of employment, not only for us, but also for our suppliers.
Press release Das Innovationsmagazin BMWA, I ◊ PROM, Ausgabe 01/2005
presse-salinen-austria-engl.doc/04/05