Brazil Potash Corp. (NYSE-American: GRO) has started a test of artificial-intelligence-enabled ore sorting at its Autazes potash project in Brazil. The company is assessing whether X-ray technology and machine learning can pre-concentrate material before it reaches the processing stage, either underground before hoisting or at the surface.
The test is intended to determine whether the approach could affect the project's construction requirements, operating efficiency and economics. Brazil Potash has not reported completed results from the Autazes trial.
#How the AI sorting system works
The technology combines X-ray Transmission (XRT) sensing with machine-learning software. According to the company, the system examines the atomic density and composition of individual rock particles as they move through the equipment, then directs them into either a concentrate stream or a waste stream.
The purpose is to separate potash-bearing material from barren rock before the material is lifted to the surface or sent into the processing plant. The company is evaluating both potential installation points as part of the test.
#Potential effects on the Autazes project
Brazil Potash says underground pre-concentration could reduce the required capacity of the surface processing plant and lower construction capital requirements. It could also increase the potassium chloride content of the material delivered to the plant, which the company says could reduce operating costs.
The company is also assessing whether the technology could support a smaller main hoisting shaft. Alternatively, it says current shaft specifications could be retained to accommodate substantially higher future production with minimal additional capital investment. These outcomes remain potential benefits under evaluation rather than reported results from Autazes.
By removing part of the waste material before hoisting, the system could reduce the volume of material lifted and processed. Brazil Potash says this may lower ongoing energy use and associated operating costs.
#Comparison with another potash application
Matt Simpson, Brazil Potash's CEO, said a recent artificial-intelligence application at a commercial potash operation demonstrated the ability to concentrate ore by approximately 50% underground before the material was hoisted and sent to a processing plant.
Simpson said the significance for Autazes would depend on whether comparable results can be reproduced in the company's own testing. The source does not state that the approximately 50% result has been achieved at Autazes.
#Autazes production and domestic supply plans
Brazil Potash is developing the Autazes Project to produce potash for Brazil's agricultural sector. The company's initial planned production capacity is up to 2.4 million tonnes per year.
Management believes the project could potentially supply approximately 20% of current potash demand in Brazil. The company also anticipates that 100% of its production will be sold domestically. These are plans and management expectations, not reported production outcomes.
The company states that Brazil imported more than 95% of its potash fertiliser in 2021. It says the project is intended to reduce the country's reliance on imports and anticipates mitigating approximately 1.4 million tonnes per year of greenhouse-gas emissions.
#Risks and uncertainties
Brazil Potash cautions that its forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results may differ materially. The company identifies risks involving potash supply and demand, competitive pressures, the timing and amount of capital expenditure, capital-market conditions, currency and exchange-rate movements, and unexpected geological or environmental conditions.
Other risks identified by the company include changes to legislation and government regulation, political or economic developments in relevant jurisdictions, obtaining required licences and authorisations, securing project financing, reliance on contractors and consultants, and other operational risks. The company has not stated whether the AI sorting test will deliver the potential benefits described.
#Key Takeaways
- Brazil Potash has begun testing AI-enabled XRT ore sorting at the Autazes Project.
- The test is examining pre-concentration underground before hoisting or at the surface before processing.
- The company says the technology could affect processing plant capacity, shaft requirements and operating costs, but no Autazes results have been reported.
- A commercial potash application cited by CEO Matt Simpson concentrated ore by approximately 50% underground; replication at Autazes remains unconfirmed.
- Brazil Potash's initial planned production capacity for Autazes is up to 2.4 million tonnes per year, subject to the project's development and related risks.
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