We enrich potash ore using two methods: flotation and chemical (known as halurgic).

The halurgic method has been used since the potash industry started in the second half of the 19th century. It produces chemically pure MOP which contains 98% of the commercial component. This is used in agriculture and the chemical industry.
• The flotation method has been used since the 1960s to produce potash fertilisers for agriculture, the products containing up to 95% of the useful component.

Halurgic method
• We use this to create White MOP. The method is based on the varying joint solubility of potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium chloride (NaCl) in water at different temperatures. KCl crystallizes out of saturated solution when it cools. It creates potash fertilisers containing 95% and 98% of MOP and chemically pure 99.8% MOP (where the humidity of the end product is the only other weight).
Flotation method
• We use this to create Pink MOP. The method is based on the varying floatability of sylvite and halite minerals in the saturated aqueous solution of potassium chloride and sodium chloride in the presence of agents. Partly purified potash ore is placed in the flotation machine, bubbles stick to potassium chloride particles and push them to the mixture surface for subsequent separation. The humidity of pink MOP after drying is only 0.1%.

Granulation
The process of making Granular potash is identical to that for Pink MOP, up to the end of the final drying phase. Following this phase, dried potash powder is compressed into flakes, and granules of the correct size are selected. These granules are treated to remove sharp edges and cracks and are hardened in furnaces to increase their strength. Granules are prepared for long transportation in the oil treatment blender. Uralkali also owns a technology of granular production from white MOP.