Potash Conveyor

One of the challenges that businesses face is transporting products to the market. As ICL Dead Sea is located in a remote desert location at the lowest point on Earth, the logistics are especially challenging when transporting millions of tonnes of potash to destinations around the globe. In order to effectively transport potash to the Ashdod port, ICL built a conveyor that transports an average of 1.4 million tonnes of potash per year, up the cliffs overlooking the Dead Sea. Over a distance of 18 km, the conveyor rises from -400m (below sea level) and up to +400m (above sea level) to reach the Tzefa transportation terminal. From there the potash is transferred onto trains, to the Port of Ashdod, reducing the number of trucks needed, and their environmental impact. \

On average, ICL Dead Sea annually produces around 3.7 million tonnes of potash. The conveyor was built in the 1980s and transports an average of 1.4 million tonnes of potash annually. The remainder is transported by trucks to the Port of Eilat. The conveyor replaces over 40,000 freight trucks each year.

In planning the conveyor, significant efforts were made in order to reduce the environmental impact along its route, with minimal fragmentation of habitats (which occurs each time roads crisscross), in order to allow free movement of wildlife across the region.

As the conveyor’s infrastructure aged over the years, small amounts of potash started falling off the conveyor. ICL Dead Sea recently completed a renewal project of the 18 Km conveyor belts. The renewal project’s purpose was to prevent potash from falling off the conveyor. In the meanwhile, cleaning work were done along the conveyor route.

Potash Cleanup

ICL Dead Sea completed the renewal project for the conveyor belts, in order to significantly reduce potash spillage. In addition, the conveyor’s covering is being renewed.