Abstract
The first delivery of potassium chloride product from Cleveland Potash's Boulby mine on the northeast coast of England took place in 1973. The feed to the process plant has a typical grade of 38% KCl, 51% NaCl and 11% insoluble minerals. The flowsheet is outlined and it is noted that the KCl recovery efficiency has declined over the past four years owing to a reduced KCl content of the mine brine used for slurry make-up, higher levels of insoluble clay in the ore and a greater variability of the ore. To increase the recovery of saturated brine—in particular, from flotation tailings—a 60-m2 horizontal belt vacuum filter is now being commissioned. The new filter also serves to reduce the solid KCl content of the cake by countercurrent washing. To optimize the efficiency of the belt filtration it is proposed to first thicken the feed slurry by introducing classification of the coarse flotation tailings by cyclones in combination with the use of a thickener-clarifier.
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