Potasio Rio Colorado

Rio Tinto holds mineral rights in the Mendoza and Neuquen provinces of Argentina. The company is undertaking studies to assess the feasibility of extracting potash from its sites and building a new international potash business in the region.

If the Potasio Rio Colorado (PRC) project is put into production, Argentina will join the small number of worldwide producers of potash, which is important to global agriculture. Argentina would become the largest supplier of potash in South America, a region which currently imports most of its needs from the northern hemisphere. Rio Tinto's plan is to produce 2.4 million tonnes per year of potash, with design features to allow for expansion.

The project proposes to use the process of solution extraction to bring the mineral to the surface from the potash layers one  kilometre below surface. Solution extraction involves pumping hot water down to the mineral level where it dissolves the potash and salt mixture that forms the layers.

Solution extraction is not traditional mining. The minerals are not dug from the ground but extracted through wells. The solution is pumped to the surface where the potash is crystallised and purified into the finished product ready to begin its long journey to market via truck, train and ship.

Ninety five per cent of potash is used as a fertiliser in worldwide agriculture. Potash is a naturally occurring mineral which is used in agriculture to provide potassium to plants. Potassium is an essential nutrient for healthy plant growth.