Turkey-based Alkim Alkali Kimya A.S. (Alkim), reportedly one of the largest sodium sulfate producers in the world, awards Veolia Water Technologies a contract to provide key processing technologies integrating HPD crystallization systems in Turkey. Because some specialty crops are sensitive to chloride, traditional potassium fertilizers cannot be applied. This mean importing a multi-nutrient fertilizer that is chloride-free and water-soluble: potassium sulfate or sulfate of potash (SOP). To make this product more affordable and locally available, Istanbul, Alkim will invest in its Koralkim facility to produce up to 50,000 tons per year of soluble-grade SOP.
Veolia’s offering, which also includes multiple-effect crystallizers to produce almost 35,000 tons per year of food-grade sodium chloride as a by-product, optimizes capital investment by utilizing Alkim’s existing cogeneration units. Operating expenses are controlled by maximizing water and steam economies through the recovery of clean condensate and residual heat used for dissolving and heating the incoming solution of potassium chloride, according to the company.
Alkim has relied on Veolia twice before, according to the company: to deliver the initial crystallization system and to produce pure sodium sulfate from solution-mined Glauberite extracted from underground natural deposits at a subsequent expansion at its facility in Çayırhan. The success of those installations along with that of the laboratory bench testing performed to de-risk the project and validate the design and performance projections reportedly induced Alkim to select Veolia again.
For more information, visit: www.veoliawatertech.com
