TOMRA Mining and K+S Minerals and Agriculture have reached a major milestone in their ongoing technological collaboration at the Zielitz mine in Germany with the successful underground sorting pilot plant for rock salt pre-separation. The project aims to minimize stockpiling, reduce the bottleneck at the mineshaft, and accommodate further mine expansion. The underground pilot plant is equipped with a TOMRA XRT sorter specially adapted to achieve K+S’s objectives – a unique solution specifically developed for the mine’s conditions and requirements.
This pilot project is the latest development in the long-standing collaboration between TOMRA and K+S, Europe’s leading salt producer and a global supplier of potash minerals. Their collaboration began in 1998, when the first TOMRA color sorter was installed at the Braunschweig-Lüneburg site at Grasleben. Over the years, the two companies have worked together on numerous projects and conducted extensive testing for various plants.
The underground mining challenge at Zielitz
K+S initiated the project as part of its focus on identifying practical, long-term solutions to improve sustainability and enhance productivity in its production and supply chains. The company partnered with TOMRA to explore ways of removing barren waste underground, significantly reducing stockpiling – hence reducing the mine’s environmental impact – and improving grade through the shaft.