The Mosaic Company, 2012 Sustainability Report
Operational Excellence
and Energy Efficiency
In pursuit of operational excellence, both our
Phosphates and Potash business units have
implemented complementar y programs aimed at
improved energy ef ficiency and bet ter use of our
resources.
Momentum
Momentum is a program that’s designed to
help our Potash business unit manage extensive
expansion projects over the next 10 years.
In November 2011, the Colonsay Building
Momentum–Harnessing Excellence project was
launched in order to improve production and
development to consistently mine 14,500 tons
per day, develop a consistent mill capacit y of
700
tons per hour and produce an average of
4,200
tons of finished product per day.
In pursuit of these goals, the mine operations at
Colonsay is evaluating alternative methods for
controlling floor heaves (movement of the mine
floor). Two-rotor mining machines are currently
used for this function, which has proven to be
inef ficient as it prevents the miner from cut ting
at a targeted rate. In response, the team is
exploring the concept of using a skid steer with
an at tachment mounted on the front that would
be used to cut slots in the floor. The skid steer
will also be accessible for other jobs at the face,
helping keep the mining area bet ter organized.
The use of this technique will enable the miner
to spend more time cut ting full face, increasing
our abilit y to consistently meet our production
targets, reduce costs and become more ef ficient.
The mill operations team has completed the
diagnostic phase and has begun working on
projects that will help improve the overall safet y
of the mill and increase its throughput to
700
tons per day. To ensure this happens, the
team has star ted developing standard operation
procedures for compaction, as well as improving
equipment availabilit y.
In October 2011, the installation of a new crystallizer
vessel was completed at our Belle Plaine potash
solution mine, an important aspect of the expansion
program at the mine that will contribute significantly
to energy efficiency.
The Momentum wave at Esterhazy K1 spurred
improvements to the site’s bird feed tank. Production
from this tank feeds the site’s dewatering centrifuges,
but frequently malfunctioned due to improper mixing
that resulted in inconsistent feed and produced
high-density slugs that shut down the tank. However,
Momentum improvements included recommissioning
the existing mixer within the tank and redesigning the
tank’s suction. The improvements allowed the site
Energy
intensity
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
09 10 11
Total GJ/tonne of finished product
Information displayed in summary is available
in full form in GRI:
Environment
38
