Value Microcaps Food, Agriculture and Soft Commodities

[kipp440]

KCL Ore Impurities

This is a really good report. My radar is locked on the AAA.V ore compesition. Kainite may be a major problem???? I am still researching.

"These impurities further complicate the deposits and require specialized, and often costly, processing techniques to efficiently mine the ore. Specifically, these impurities may consist of salts such as kainite, langbeinite and kieserite."


http://www.canasiaind.com/i/pdf/Global_Potash_Supply_-_A_Focus_On_SK_Exploration.pdf

page 10 and 11:

Continuity of ore: The continuity of the ore refers to the extent to which the
ore body is an unbroken layer underneath the ground. Continuity is also an
indicator of ore-grade mineralization, as it determines the extent of KCl deposits
within the potash bed. Initial drilling tests are typically used to assess continuity
by sampling closely spaced drill holes to determine indicated resources.
Type of ore: The primary potash-bearing ore is sylvinite, which is made up of
sylvite and halite. It is the most desirable ore due to its high KCl content and the
relative ease with which it can be extracted under standard conventional or
solution mining. Carnallitite is another potash-bearing ore, primarily composed
of carnallite and halite. The carnallite in the ore has a relatively large
magnesium content, which adds additional complexities when processing due to
its dissolution properties. Carnallite is composed of approximately 17% K2O and,
therefore, typically has a much lower grading then sylvite.

Extent of impurities: There are a number of other potash salts that may also
exist within deposits. These other salts are typically not seen in the deposits in
Western Canada, but are more common in international deposits. These
impurities further complicate the deposits and require specialized, and often
costly, processing techniques to efficiently mine the ore. Specifically, these
impurities may consist of salts such as kainite, langbeinite and kieserite. In
mining sylvite for potash, the occurrence of carnallite is also considered an
impurity, as its presence significantly lowers recovery levels. In general, an ore
deposit that contains less than 1% magnesium (a large component of carnallite)
is acceptable and reasonably mined using cost-effective underground or solution
mining techniques. All of the six junior Canadian potash explorers pursuing
sylvite mining have found relatively minimal carnallite presence in their deposits.