Potash (potassium salt) is an important mineral for the agricultural industry worldwide, as it is a base ingredient for many types of fertilizer, and it is used by various other industries, as well.
As the population grows and nations develop around the globe, demand for agricultural and manufactured products also increases. This leads to an increase in demand for materials and minerals, including potash.
To help ensure that there will be a sufficient supply of potash into the future, two exciting major potash mining developments are currently in the pipeline, one in the United Kingdom and the other in Spain.
- The UK development, called the Woodsmith Mine (after Peter Woods and Dr. Frederick Smith. two of the project’s original geologists), is located near Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. The mine is being built by Sirius Minerals and will extract both potash and polyhalite. It is expected to be the world’s largest and highest-grade polyhalite mine, with an estimated lifespan of 100 years. The first of five shafts at Woodsmith will be sunk in the summer of 2017.
- In Spain, Geoalcali (a subsidiary of Highfield Resources) is awaiting final approval for the development of its new Muga potash mine, located approximately 50km away from Pamplona in Northern Spain. The Muga potash mine is expected to produce an initial yield of at least one million tons per annum. Geoalcali is also developing four other complementary potash mines in the same region as Muga.
Both mines have expressed enthusiasm for implementing the latest, cutting-edge mining technology from leading providers around the world.
Ramjack, through our European office in Barcelona, Spain, is ideally placed to play a role in implementing mining technology solutions in these and other developments in the region.
Due to our partnerships with leading technology providers and our expertise in implementing and supporting these solutions, we can provide a range of technologies, from site preparation through to full production – including the associated change management and implementation services.
The RAMJACK Technology Solutions (RTS) portfolio contains technologies fully proven and operational in underground mines around the world, including:
- Geotechnical instrumentation and rock movement monitoring for each phase of the development and ongoing safe operations of mines;
- Environmental and atmosphere monitoring, including gas detection, ventilation management and temperature control;
- Location tracking that allows for the supervision of personnel and assets to ensure a safe working environment and real-time productivity monitoring;
- Underground wireless communication networks that enable mine engineers and managers to monitor a range of parameters in real time, such as: mine face activity, vehicle health alarms, payload compliance, etc.;
- Enabled cap lamps that allow the mine to issue immediate evacuation orders and monitor the evacuation in real time in the case of an emergency;
- x-Glo LED strip lighting provides a superior working environment, coupled with significant reductions in energy and maintenance costs;
- Smart Cap Life Band enables personnel to monitor their own fatigue levels and empowers them to work to the highest levels of safety;
Real-time 3D mapping of underground shafts and tunnels to track mine compliance, dilution/deletion and volume reconciliations.
