WORKING WITH THE SALT OF THE EARTH

Arab Potash Company

Arab Potash Company is located in Jordan. A country named after the famed river which flows from its northern tip, along its western border and into the Dead Sea. Situated at the junction of three continents, Jordan has developed in recent decades into a modern country that integrates ancient heritage and Middle Eastern hospitality with high standards of education and advanced communication technology.

“Jordan presents an ideal gateway to the Middle East and the rest of the world. Sharing borders with five countries, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestine National Authority . The multi- border characteristic of Jordan reinforces its accessibility.”

The Kingdom’s terrain extends to approximately 90,000 square kilometres, providing a diverse range of landscapes. The Badia plains lie to the east with hills and mountains in

the centre while the fertile rift valley cleaves the length of the country forming a natural boundary to the west along which the River Jordan flows and converges into the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth . The port of Aqaba, at the southern tip of the Kingdom gives Jordan an access to the Red Sea.

“The country shares with its neighbours the climate of the Eastern Mediterranean. Amman, the capital of Jordan enjoys sunny, cloudless weather from May to early November, with warm days and cool evenings. Rain falls regularly between late November and early April, while Aqaba and the Jordan Valley are frequented winter resorts. Jordan’s population of five and a half million is made up of a mixture of Muslims and Christians and while Arabic is the official language English is widely spoken.”

Potash “pot-ash” is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. The name derives from “pot ash”, which refers to plant ashes soaked in water in a pot (this was the primary means of manufacturing the product before the industrial era.)

Today, potash is produced worldwide mostly for use in fertilizers, but also plays crucial roles in industrialized economies, required in processes including aluminium recycling, metal electroplating, creation of drilling fluid for oil-wells, snow and ice melting, steel heat-treating, water softening and soap manufacturing. Key potassium compounds also find uses in animal feeds and beer brewing.

The Company The idea of the Arab Potash Company project was based

on the Potash Plant located on the north-western shores of the Dead Sea during the British Mandate. The old plant was destroyed but the idea remained alive and a Pan Arab company was formed in 1956 to implement a project for the production of Potash using the minerals of the Dead Sea.

The site is located 110 kilometres south of Amman and 200 kilometres north of Aqaba. The site is a Solar Evaporation Pond System of an area of 150 square kilometres and processing plants for the ore.

The investment in the original project, including substantial infrastructure was nearly 480 Million USD. Funding was obtained through loans from international finance institutions and aid agencies as well as Arab development funds. The project began in 1976 with tests and experiments to determine the parameters of various technologies and ideas in a very hostile environment. Construction began in 1979 and was completed in 1982. At the end of construction, about (117) kilometres of seepage proof dykes were built.

Industry is a balancing game between supply and demand. Where there is a demand for something, those in supply are needed to push forward. Arab Potash Company is a simple example of this in practice.

Arab Potash Company

Each of these was more than eight meters wide at the top and presented an engineering challenge to be built on top of a non-stable sea bed. The excavation carried out during the construction period was of a colossal magnitude where 16 million cubic meters of earth material was displaced.

Potash production began in 1983 and has since progressed with various schemes aimed at optimizing and expanding this production. The initial plant was built to a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes of product.

This was expanded in the late eighties to handle 1.4 million tonnes and key modifications were undertaken with the Solar System to enhance the production of the ore accordingly. A second plant based on different technology and of a capacity of 0.4 million tonnes was built in 1994 and this brought the total production capacity to 1.8 million tonnes. The cost of the new plant was around 120 million USD.

“There are plans to expand through further optimization of the existing plants. Projects are underway to expand the Solar Evaporation System and construct another plant and thus raise the capacity to 2.4 million tonnes of product.”

The capital of the Arab Potash Company is 83 billion Jordanian Dinars (78 million British Pound Sterling) and along with this it has a concession from the Jordanian Government to exploit, manufacture and market the mineral resources of the Dead Sea, until 2058.

Employing over 2000 personnel with offices in Amman, Safi and Aqaba, Arabian Potash Company owns extensive housing and recreational facilities near its plants and in addition provides the surrounding region with assistance in social, medical, economic and vocational development. Looking after their staff is more than just looking after them at work.

As far as transportation is concerned, the final product can either go to the plant product storage warehouse or conveyed to shipping bins from which it can be loaded into specially made bottom- dump trucks for delivery to the storage warehouse at the port of Aqaba.

A fleet of trucks, with a capacity of 50 tonnes each, daily transport Potash via the Safi-Aqaba road, a stretch of some 225 kilometres to the storage and loading facilities at Aqaba for ocean shipment.

“The storage capacity in Aqaba was recently expanded from 160,000 tons to 260,000 tons.”

The Aqaba facilities are among the most efficient and modern in the Potash industry. The reclaiming system ensures physical uniformity, guarantees reduced segregation and prevents caking. Oil treatment and new screening units are installed to remove any fine particles and to reduce dust emissions during loading vessels at rates up to 1000 tonnes per hour.

“Thanks to the exquisite all year round weather in Aqaba, the loading of vessels can continue unabated making full use of our one jetty which is blessed with two loading berths. Rehabilitation and privatization of industrial port management is underway to improve the flexibility and capability of the port and we have has begun negotiations regarding a new jetty that would be constructed close to the existing facility.”

In conclusion, a company that has cut themselves a road into the future by developing a foundation based on integrity and planning, perfectly placed to take full advantage of their natural resources and a booming economic market place.

“We’re the salt of the earth,” springs to mind.

A Broad Range Of Equipment And Processes In The Phosphate And Fertilizer Industries

Mine extractionComminution : grinding, crushing and millingSeparation and concentration: screens, flotation cells ,hidrocyclons, thickeners, horizontal belt filters, filter pressesSystems: FSA neutralizationMaterial handling: stackers and reclaimers, in-plant conveyors, port facilities

T: +390295688.1 • E: info.doeitaly@flsmidth.comwww.flsmidth.com

Arab Potash Companywww.arabpotash.com00962 6 5200520

Written by Jack Slater

www.littlegatepublishing.com