The invention relates to an
integrated production process that enables the simultaneous and high-yield
recovery of
polyhalite fertilizer and
sodium sulfate products from complex ore structures containing high-grade
sodium sulfate (Tenardite, Blödite and Globerite; >20% Na₂O) and low-grade
polyhalite (<8-10% K₂O), by eliminating the disadvantages of
calcination and high-energy heat treatments in the current state of the art. In the process, raw ore with a size of 800-1000 mm is gradually reduced to a size of 20-50 mm in the jaw
crusher (110) and cone
crusher (120) and then fed into the leaching tank (130). At the same time,
sodium sulfate solution (301), whose concentration is adjusted according to the ore content, is fed into the leaching tank from the solution tank (300); by the
common ion effect of the sodium and
sulfate ion concentration in this solution, the self-
dissolution equilibrium of the
polyhalite mineral is suppressed, preventing the
dissolution of
potassium and
magnesium salts and ensuring that only the
sodium sulfate in the ore selectively passes into the
liquid phase. After the
solid-liquid separation provided in
Filter Press-1 (140), polyhalite
fertilizer (161) is obtained from the
solid phase by Rotary Dryer-1 (150) and Pellet Mill (160);
sodium sulfate (201) is produced from the
liquid phase by
Evaporator (170) and Crystallizer (180). The low concentration solution (192) separated in
Filter Press-2 (190) is fed back to the solution tank (300) to ensure closed-loop production. The main advantages of this invention include: using a
sodium sulfate solution obtained from the process's own product
stream instead of an external chemical
reagent as a leaching agent; offering a simplified process flow due to the absence of a
calcium-derived byproduct (
gypsum); operating on a zero-waste principle by converting almost all components in the ore into economic value; recovering all used process water back into the
system; preventing harmful
gas emissions such as CO₂ and SO₂; and significantly lower
energy consumption compared to conventional methods.