Halurgy

In Greek the word “halurgy” means salt business. The halurgical method was first used for the production of potassium chloride in the town of Stassfurt (Germany) in 1862. It is based on the different solubility of KCl and NaCl in water at elevated temperatures. The method is used for treatment of sylvinite ores, for solutions obtained by underground dissolution and for natural reservoirs with high mineral content. At normal temperatures the solubility of potassium and sodium chlorides is almost the same. As temperatures increase, the solubility of sodium chloride is almost unchanged, while the solubility of potassium chloride increases dramatically.