EXPANSION PROJECT "FUSTARET"

ICL Iberia Súria & Sallent is dedicated to extraction, treatment and marketing of potash and is currently the only producer of potassium salts in Spain and represents one of the most important potash reserves in Western Europe. However, potash production is associated with other components such as sodium chloride which are susceptible of exploitation, but their demand has historically been lower than their production and consequently much of this compound becomes waste and needs to be collected. According to current legislation, sodium chloride is considered a mining waste and their storage in a tank must incorporate waterproofing and vessel drainage measures.

In this context, a project for the adequacy of the “Fustaret” saline deposit in Súria (Barcelona) has been drafted, where the remnants of potash extraction will be stored. This deposit will have a maximum capacity at 6 Mm3 and will occupy an area of approximately 12 ha. The waterproofing sequence consists of two packets: The goal of the main package is to ensure the waterproofing of the vessel and is composed of a 1st waterproofing barrier with textured PEAD sheet of 2.5 mm thick protected on both sides by non-woven polypropylene geotextiles plus a 2nd waterproofing barrier based on a bentonite geocomposite. The layout of this first package is common in most landfills. Furthermore, there is a second waterproofing package that would only act if this first package fails; it is again composed of a PEAD sheet and is located below a safety net whose objective is to be able to detect possible leaks in the system. Installation works on the 1st and 2nd phases started in January 2019 and has already been completed. As a result of these first two phases there are approximately 10.5 ha waterproofed area of the deposit. The 3rd phase is currently pending to be implemented during 2020 and will allow to reach the total capacity envisaged for this deposit.