CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The potassium chloride is one of most important fertilizers used in agriculture. The actual demand of this salt makes the study of production of potassium chloride from unconventional potassium resources interesting. In this work the production of potassium chloride by chlorination of microcline was investigated. The starting reagents were microcline, hidromagnesite and chlorine. 361 Isothermal chlorination assays were carried out in a thermogravimetric device adapted to work in corrosive atmospheres. The temperature effect on potassium extraction and the phase transformations produced during chlorination of microcline were studied. The reagents and reaction products were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The experimental results indicated that by chlorination of microcline an important extraction of potassium in temperature range from 700 to 900°C is produced. Further, at 800°C the forsterite, enstatite and spinel of magnesium phases are generated.