Rio de Janeiro-Brazilian mining giant Vale received preliminary approval from the environmental agency of the state of Sergipe to move ahead with the Carnalita potash project. Once the operation is up and running, Vale says it will be the largest potash facility in the country. The Carnalita project is part of an effort by Brazil to become self-sufficient in fertilizers by 2020. The project will mine and process carnallite rock to produce potash. Vale plans to run an experimental project to extract the salts from the carnallite ore by injecting hot water into boreholes to dissolve the salts in the rock. The brine will be pumped to the surface for processing. The company is continuing to carry out studies in the region to determine the extent of the carnallite deposits in the area. If the reserves are as large as expected and the process is cost-effective, Vale hopes to have full-scale production of 1.2 million mt/y by 2014. Vale has additional potash and phosphate mines elsewhere in Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and Canada. It also recently acquired Bunge and a stake in Fosfertil.
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