The Canadian government has awarded C$1 million to KSM Fertilizers of Quebec to assist the company in becoming a low-cost producer of potassium sulfate (SOP) and magnesium sulfate (SOPM) fertilizers by using an innovative patented technology to extract magnesium compounds from mine tailings.
KSM plans to construct a demonstration plant that will produce 55,000 mt/y of SOP, SOPM, and potassium, plus hydrochloric acid as a byproduct. The company said the process applies lower temperatures to reduce energy consumption, corrosion, and operating, maintenance, and construction costs.
Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) gave KSM the $1 million in mid-December as part of C$2 million in total company financing to help KSM build and operate the plant at Thetford Mines, Quebec. The government and company anticipate that the plant’s clean technology will help cut greenhouse emissions.
KSM President David Lemieux said the company uses ore from mines to access magnesium. It takes potash and reacts it with sulfuric acid to create potassium sulfate. Remaining acid is used to extract the magnesium as magnesium sulfate, which is further combined into the potassium sulfate. The mining residue is used as a feed material in the process.
Lemieux noted that SOP and SOPM are not new products, but KSM plans to manufacture them in a more energy- and cost-effective way. KSM hopes to start the project in the first quarter of 2019 and run process demonstrations for a year. The Canadian government’s investment is a great step forward for KSM, he said, and provides the tools needed for the company to advance.
In its 2017 budget, the Canadian government provided more than $2.3 billion to help clean technology companies grow and expand, including $400 million to recapitalize the SDTC’s tech fund that supports the development and demonstration of early-stage clean technology projects, plus nearly $1.4 billion in new financing through the Business Development Bank of Canada and Export Development Canada. Experts expect the global clean technology market to grow to $2.5 trillion by 2022.