Carlos Perucca, M.A.Sc., Independent Process Consultant with CPPC Ltd.
Carlos holds a Bachelor of Science in Mineral Processing Engineering from the San Juan University in Argentina and a Master of Applied Science in Mineral Processing from the University of British Columbia. Carlos is currently a Process Consultant at CPPC Ltd with clients in Canada, South America, Africa, the Middle East and Oceania. Prior to CPPC Carlos worked in Argentina developing Industrial Minerals projects including Fluorspar Heavy Media separation and briquetting, Kaolin Clays, Barites, Boric Acid, Limestones, Lime and Precipitated Calcium Carbonate. Carlos worked in the Potasio Rio Colorado project from 1991 to 1995 when he moved to Canada to attend UBC. After graduation, Carlos worked at Agrium Vanscoy, Amec (now Wood) and for the last 15 years as independent consultant where he completed near 150 projects mostly in potash in its various forms, phosphates and other minerals.
Away from work Carlos enjoys spending time camping and doing street and bird photography.
The birth of potash industry was 1861 in Stassfurt, Duchy of Prussia with the commissioning of the first potash plant. Until 1918, potash production was only in the German Empire with a total capacity of about 0.83 million t K.
The United States potash industry was initiated during World War I as the result of a German embargo that drove prices above $450 per metric ton. The first commercial potash from New Mexico was shipped in March 1931.
Potash was discovered in Saskatchewan, Canada, by New Mexico potash companies in 1952. Many factors prevented major production until the late 1950s, with exports to the United States commencing in 1962.
During much of the history of potash production from the 19th century to the early 1950s, particle size was of little consequence. The material called “standard” had an average size of 0. 8 mm.
Introduction of granular fertilisers for bulk blending required an increase in the size of potash particles. This lead to the birth of potash compaction in the 1950s, when Allis-Chalmers engineers converted a 2020 cereal flaking press, that at the time was a 75 year old technology already.
As the force of the cereal machine could not compact the salts enough, AC engineers designed a larger 2424 machine with greater horsepower and pressing forces that became an industry game changer.
With a reliable compactor available, the first full compaction plants were designed, based on the AC machine in North America and on improvements of the Belgian roll machine (a coal briquetting machine) in Europe.
Since these early days, the evolution of compaction plants has continued unabated, both in production volume and in product quality. Most of this evolution in recent decades was driven by Saskatchewan engineers.
This presentation we will try to describe this evolutionary process and honour these Saskatchewan trailblazers.
