#Dead Sea potash mining

[apieinvestavimapaprastai]

From Desert Fertilizers to EV Batteries: How ICL Group Quietly Became a $7.5 Billion Powerhouse – and Why Its Stock Could Bloom

#Discover ICL Group ’s stock forecast, dividend strategy, and role in sustainable green energy. Why analysts see a buying opportunity #SustainableInvesting #ICLGroupLtd #ICL #Sustainableagriculturestocks #EVbatterymaterialsstocks #ICLGroupstockanalysis

In a world grappling with food shortages and a green energy revolution, ICL Group Ltd (NYSE: ICL) has emerged as an unsung hero. This Israeli-born titan, once known for mining Dead Sea potash, now straddles two megatrends: *feeding the planet* and *powering its electric future*. But with its stock rebounding off recent lows and a dividend yield topping 5%, is now the time to buy? Let’s dig into…

[jordanianroyals]

28 November 2024: King Abdullah II stressed the need to develop a plan to preserve Karak Castle and breath life into the old city’s streets and buildings.

During a meeting with a number of local community leaders and figures at Al Mashhad Square in Karak, the site of the Battle of Mutah, and attended by Crown Prince Hussein, His Majesty expressed pride in visiting Karak Governorate.

The King said the land of Mutah is immortalised in Karak’s history, having witnessed the heroism of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad.

His Majesty added that this legacy continues at Mutah University, with its graduates in Jordan’s armed forces and security agencies.

The King said Karak is home to several ecotourism and adventure tourism sites, such as Wadi Bin Hammad and Wadi Al Mujib, which requires focus on this sector from the government.

His Majesty highlighted that Karak is rich in resources, such as potash, and has important projects in industry, agriculture, and water, stressing that efforts to improve services in Karak and all governorates will continue.

Speaking at the meeting, Karak Governor Qublan Al Sharif expressed best wishes to the King on the Silver Jubilee, highlighting the governorate’s achievements over the past 25 years, especially investments that have provided job opportunities for the local community.

Upon arrival at Mashhad Square, His Majesty was welcomed with a poetry and musical performance.

Prior to the meeting, the King, accompanied by Crown Prince Al Hussein, visited the Arab Potash Company (APC), where he inaugurated the Research, Development and Innovation Centre, which aims to conduct studies on ways to develop the products of the potash company and its subsidiaries and industries, as well as investment opportunities for Dead Sea minerals.

His Majesty also launched new APC projects at a total cost of approximately $450 million, including the main pumping station, the granular potash plant, the first phase of the eastern expansion, and the operations and logistics centre.

During the visit, the King praised the role of the APC in the national economy and the growth of the Kingdom's exports to several countries and regions around the world, noting the importance of the company's projects in renewable energy and water.

His Majesty also witnessed the launch of the Fertiliser and Derivative Chemicals Growth Strategy (2024-2034), in line with the Economic Modernisation Vision, which aims to strengthen Jordan's position as a major exporter of fertilisers and chemicals.

APC Chairman Shahadeh Abu Hudhaib noted that the strategy reflects the company's commitment to continued growth and development, and its endeavour to contribute to the advancement of the fertiliser and mining sectors to reach global levels.

APC President and CEO Maen Al Nsour spoke about the company’s achievements and its plans and projects to expand production and diversify fertiliser and chemical products with high added value.

During the meeting with Karak figures, the King bestowed the Silver Jubilee Medal on individuals and institutions in Karak, in recognition of their contributions to serving Jordan, especially the local community in the governorate.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh, and Adviser to His Majesty for Tribal Affairs Kneiaan Bluwi attended the meeting.

[saltmarketinformation]

Unlocking the Depths: A Dive into Salt Mining and its Intricacies

Salt, a basic kitchen ingredient that is found everywhere on this planet, is a commodity that has always been important to civilization. Salt which goes from the depths of the Earth to us is often taken for granted since the process of getting it is quite a fascinating path that involves different salt types and the way they are extracted. This article presents an examination of salt mining, particularly rock salt resourcesand the unique technique of solution mining.

Rock Salt Mining: Understanding the crystals of our planet.

The main source of salt production is rock salt which underlies large underground salt deposits as a result of which these mineral reserves are created. The mining process is a solution mining method which uses water to dissolve the salt in the underground boreholes. The operation is started by water being pumped down the borehole creating the dissolution of the salt. As the water loads with salt, it is then recycled back to the surface for more processing.

One noteworthy facet of solution mining is its adaptability. Particularly in the chemical industry, the brine can be used depending on the specific application without first desalination. This simplifies the production process so the method itself can be applied in various fields. However, the brine in itself can perform key functions even without immediate evaporation thus serving as a benefit in a variety of industrial processes.

Salt in Brine: Liquified Salt, a New Methodology.

Salt presents itself in multiple forms with brine siphoning a place in the mining story as an ongoing tale. Brine permeates its uniqueness in the industry as salt is dissolved in water to produce the solution which can bring industrial advantages too. The main salt application of brine is not limited to taste alteration, instead, it finds utility in chemistry, manufacturing, and other industrial sectors.

We should be fully aware of the multifarious character of the salt in brinein the salt removal process construction. First, it is not for people only who demand salt. Second, it plays a major role in supplying the potash industry and various other industrial fields. In addition to its capability to smoothly merge with diverse procedures, the salt in brine solution carries this much greater weight in shaping sectors profound to the culinary field.

Sea Salt: Nature's Overflow of Generosity Unfolds.

It is rock salt and salt in brine which are currently the leaders in the mining industry while sea salt, which is nothing but naturally extracted from the ocean stands out as the alternative. The phases of extraction of sea saltare minimal yet highly effective. Saltwater collected is then allowed to evaporate as crystals of salts remain. Nature can harness this power of salt in a process that relies on the huge salt concentration in our seas.

Sea salt is known for its trademarked taste, usually thanked for its natural character rather than its nutritional value. The fact that it does not play a role only in the kitchen, but has some documentary qualities makes many people appreciate it. As the global community gets more and more aware of the importance of a healthy and clean environment, sea salt is the last in the line of industry-environment-friendly practices.

Navigating the Salt Market:

While salt is being extracted from the earth, the salt market will go through rigours as a result of monopolistic tendencies and other market failures. The largest factor that draws such a critical watch of the player is the price of salt by both consumers and the industry. Many factors play a role in the changing market conditions, increasing production costs, and high demand all over the world which all influence the fluctuation of salt prices.

By the salt trade, an ancient custom, the countries and territories are in a mesh of economic relationships with each other. The history of salt is not a story about merely a dead artefact. Instead, is evidence of how fundamental salt is in facilitating industries and the development of communities. Trade routes of salt, from the earliest days of salting use to the age of shipping, have changed and form today's global trade in this necessary commodity.

Altogether, the salt market is a huge and complicated territory, where rock salt deposits, salt in brine, as well as the manufacture of sea saltand the salt business, make the final picture. As we travel by the moors of salt mining, from the ways of extraction to the diverse shapes it can have, it turns out that salt is not only a seasoning but an essential resource for a wide variety of global industries.

Source Url:

[my-123]

Potassium Chloride Market Outlook, Current and Future Industry Landscape Analysis by 2033

The global potassium chloride market is worth US$ 13.08 Billion as of now and is expected to reach US$ 18.10 Billion by the year 2033 at a CAGR of 3.3% between 2023 and 2033. Potassium chloride, also known as potassium salt or sylvite, comes across as a metal halide containing potassium and chlorine.

Apart from being odorless and colorless, it is easily soluble in water and does have a salt-like taste. The end-user applications include medicines, fertilizers, food processing, and likewise. The other area of application includes ‘de-icing’, which is safer for animals and plants.

Potassium chloride is the basic raw material used in the form of feedstock for several potassium compounds in soldering, welding, and casting. It’s another application is that of a coagulant in the treatment of drinking water for removing impurities.

It finds its presence as a softener in the textile industry as well. In the kitchens, it could be used as a substitute for salt. Plus, rising demand for fertilizers is expected to take the potassium chloride market by storm in the near future.

Request A Report Sample to Gain Comprehensive Insights @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-11613

Competitive Analysis

Chemtrade, in November 2021, did announce that it completed sales of its specialty chemical business with Vertellus for close to US$ 155 Million, wherein the former did sell its KCl (potassium chloride), caustic pellets, and vaccine adjuvants business to the latter.

Veolia Water Technology, in July 2020, did announce that the company would be expanding its Jordan potash fertilizer plant crystallization capacity. Veolia does supply processing facility for extracting premium potash fertilizer from brines of the Dead Sea.

Verkhnekamsk, in December 2020, finished with skip graft sinking at the Talitsky Mine construction site.

Key Companies Profiled

Nutrien Ltd.

The Mosiac Company

K+S KALI GmbH

Israel Chemicals Ltd

EuroChem

Uralkali

JSC Belaruskali

SQM S.A.

Intrepid Potash, Inc.

Arab Potash Company

What does the Report state?

The research study is based on grade (agricultural grade and chemical/industrial grade), by crop (oilseeds, cereals, sugar and fiber, and fruits & vegetables), and by application (de-icer, agriculture, water softeners, and industrial).

Being colorless (or occasionally white), potassium chloride proves to be an ideal choice for agriculture. This factor is expected to take the potassium chloride market by storm in the years to come.

[gingerchangeling]

Seeking Advice on the Making of a Village

So I am creating a village for a Dungeons and Dragons game, and after some planning, I have decided to have the setting be a village that was developed on very salt-rich land, high up in the mountains (sort of just shy of the Alpine Line, so the like 6-10,000 feet above sea level range). And yeah, it doesn't really matter in the long run whether my world choices are accurate or realistic, but why invent a world if you aren't going to try and make it work?

I wasn’t going to put a cut, but I’ve realized that I have not the source of wit, and thus, am not brief. Any help or input or thoughts, of anything would be most welcome!!!!

I am looking for input on what would be required to make a village function- the trades, buildings, and resources that would be needed to allow a village of roughly 200 or so people high up in the mountains maybe not necessarily thrive, but certainly last.

I’ve opted to have this village be supported by the salt rich soil that it has been build on. The main economy is the export of salt and the tourism driven by the reputed beneficial properties of the bathhouse (or maybe hot spring house) in the area (a la the Dead Sea).

There will be tiers that generations of residents have carved into the nooks and crannies of the surrounding mountains to offer land to farm, raise livestock (primarily goats), and to set up potash and sodium evaporation ponds. 

Obviously, the ground water will be contaminated, and so there has to be a profession that specifically address purifying water for use. Then of course professions like tanners, black and goldsmiths, carpenters, timbermen, farmers, animal husbanders, miners, porters for the ore and other goods, a doctor or herbalist, some sort of fiber processing (whether done in homes or in a more centralized location), weavers and cloth makers, dyers, masons, stables, milk processing people (I have no idea if there is a correct term for that), soap and other personal care production people, an inn, a bathhouse, a pub, a brothel, a center to manage the mining logistics from, a town center or something similar, cobbler/hatter, barber/dentist, leatherworkers, thatchers/roofers, engineers or something similar. 

I know there are resources I haven’t thought of, or steps in production I have missed, so any advice on what would be needed to make this village function would be super appreciated! And since this is a made up world, nothing is out of bounds. I want it realistic, but it doesn’t actually have to be real.

I am also looking for plants/trees/groundcover/weeds that will grow both at high altitude, with seasonal frost as well as in soil that is very salt rich. There is a standing water lake about a day's walk from the village that causes the water table in the vicinity of the village to stay close to the surface, and there may also be hot springs (haven't decided yet) so there might be some thermal activity close to the surface as well in the vicinity of the village. Then about a day and a half higher up the mountain side, there is going to be a deep delve salt mine.

So what sort of plants would it be reasonable to say grew in the area? I'm looking for sort of pine forest mountain village vibe, but if there are better tree and plant choices, I'd rather use those. I will say, since it is, you know, made up in a world with magic and stuff, if there isn't a perfect candidate, maybe those options that get close enough that I can wave my hand and create a justification for them.

Cheers and thank you!!

(And if you are an artist that’s looking for maybe a longer term commission series [I don’t have too much spare laying around but its something] hit me up, because I’d love to have the areas illustrated, and have portraits done for my players.)

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.27

410 – The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ends after three days. 1172 – Henry the Young King and Margaret of France are crowned junior king and queen of England. 1557 – The Battle of St. Quentin results in Emmanuel Philibert becoming Duke of Savoy. 1593 – Pierre Barrière failed an attempt to assassinate Henry IV of France. 1689 – The Treaty of Nerchinsk is signed by Russia and the Qing Empire (Julian calendar). 1776 – Battle of Long Island: In what is now Brooklyn, New York, British forces under General William Howe defeat Americans under General George Washington. 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: The city of Toulon revolts against the French Republic and admits the British and Spanish fleets to seize its port, leading to the Siege of Toulon by French Revolutionary forces. 1798 – Wolfe Tone's United Irish and French forces clash with the British Army in the Battle of Castlebar, part of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, resulting in the creation of the French puppet Republic of Connacht. 1810 – Napoleonic Wars: The French Navy defeats the British Royal Navy, preventing them from taking the harbour of Grand Port on Île de France. 1813 – French Emperor Napoleon I defeats a larger force of Austrians, Russians, and Prussians at the Battle of Dresden. 1828 – Brazil and Argentina recognize the sovereignty of Uruguay in the Treaty of Montevideo 1832 – Black Hawk, leader of the Sauk tribe of Native Americans, surrenders to U.S. authorities, ending the Black Hawk War. 1859 – Petroleum is discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania leading to the world's first commercially successful oil well. 1881 – The Georgia hurricane makes landfall near Savannah, Georgia, resulting in an estimated 700 deaths. 1883 – Eruption of Krakatoa: Four enormous explosions almost completely destroy the island of Krakatoa and cause years of climate change. 1893 – The Sea Islands hurricane strikes the United States near Savannah, Georgia, killing between 1,000 and 2,000 people. 1896 – Anglo-Zanzibar War: The shortest war in world history (09:02 to 09:40), between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar. 1914 – World War I: Battle of Étreux: A British rearguard action by the Royal Munster Fusiliers during the Great Retreat. 1915 – Attempted assassination of Bishop Patrick Heffron, bishop of the Diocese of Winona by Rev. Louis M. Lesches. 1916 – World War I: The Kingdom of Romania declares war on Austria-Hungary, entering the war as one of the Allied nations. 1918 – Mexican Revolution: Battle of Ambos Nogales: U.S. Army forces skirmish against Mexican Carrancistas in the only battle of World War I fought on American soil. 1922 – Greco-Turkish War: The Turkish army takes the Aegean city of Afyonkarahisar from the Kingdom of Greece. 1927 – Five Canadian women file a petition to the Supreme Court of Canada, asking, "Does the word 'Persons' in Section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867, include female persons?" 1928 – The Kellogg–Briand Pact outlawing war is signed by fifteen nations. Ultimately sixty-one nations will sign it. 1933 – The first Afrikaans Bible is introduced during a Bible Festival in Bloemfontein. 1939 – First flight of the turbojet-powered Heinkel He 178, the world's first jet aircraft. 1942 – First day of the Sarny Massacre, perpetrated by Germans and Ukrainians. 1943 – World War II: Japanese forces evacuate New Georgia Island in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. 1943 – World War II: Aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe razes to the ground the village of Vorizia in Crete. 1955 – The first edition of the Guinness Book of Records is published in Great Britain. 1956 – The nuclear power station at Calder Hall in the United Kingdom was connected to the national power grid becoming the world's first commercial nuclear power station to generate electricity on an industrial scale. 1962 – The Mariner 2 unmanned space mission is launched to Venus by NASA. 1963 – An explosion at the Cane Creek potash mine near Moab, Utah kills 18 miners. 1964 – South Vietnamese junta leader Nguyễn Khánh enters into a triumvirate power-sharing arrangement with rival generals Trần Thiện Khiêm and Dương Văn Minh, who had both been involved in plots to unseat Khánh. 1971 – An attempted coup d'état fails in the African nation of Chad. The Government of Chad accuses Egypt of playing a role in the attempt and breaks off diplomatic relations. 1975 – The Governor of Portuguese Timor abandons its capital, Dili, and flees to Atauro Island, leaving control to a rebel group. 1979 – The Troubles: Eighteen British soldiers are killed in an ambush by the Provisional Irish Republican Army near Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, in the deadliest attack on British forces during Operation Banner. An IRA bomb also kills British royal family member Lord Mountbatten and three others on his boat at Mullaghmore, Republic of Ireland. 1980 – A massive bomb planted by extortionist John Birges explodes at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada after a failed disarming attempt by the FBI. Although the hotel is damaged, no one is injured. 1982 – Turkish military diplomat Colonel Atilla Altıkat is shot and killed in Ottawa. Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide claim to be avenging the massacre of 11⁄2 million Armenians in the 1915 Armenian genocide. 1985 – Nigeria's military government is overthrown by another clique of army officers. 1991 – The European Community recognizes the independence of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. 1991 – Moldova declares independence from the USSR. 2003 – Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing 34,646,418 miles (55,758,005 km) distant. 2003 – The first six-party talks, involving South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, convene to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns of the North Korean nuclear weapons program. 2006 – Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky bound for Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. Of the passengers and crew, 49 of 50 are confirmed dead in the hours following the crash. 2009 – Internal conflict in Myanmar: The Burmese military junta and ethnic armies begin three days of violent clashes in the Kokang Special Region. 2011 – Hurricane Irene strikes the United States east coast, killing 47 and causing an estimated $15.6 billion in damage.

[barbs-np-utah-travels]

Day 13 - Dead Horse Point State Park

May 2, 2021

It was a relatively simple day. I slept, we drove, we hiked and then I had a beer.

I really did sleep in today, until 9am! We’ve been waking up at 6:30 or 7 to get to the parks, but I guess I knew this going was a easier day.

We went to Dead Horse Point State Park which people claim has views that rival any of the other National Parks nearby but on a smaller scale. It turned out to be true – see the link to the video I took. The park is located high above where we were yesterday, so we had a birds eye view of our bumpy road trip including the Colorado River, the towering canyons and also the company that is mining potash salt from below ground that is extracted from an ancient sea. Who knew?

We did 2 short hikes for about 2.5 miles – 1 on the west rim and 1 on the east rim. At times I felt a bit like a mountain goat climbing the rocks.

Tomorrow is probably going to be an even slower day. Steve may do 1 more hike in Arches (without me) and I am eager to do some laundry (?), work on the Sunday puzzle and read my book. We head out to our next stop Tuesday morning.

[roadjanus]

Heading to the Dead Sea...lucky we’re not dead...

A Muslim woman’s bathing suit next to a bikini! Border crossing and our YMCA lobby . So beautiful!

First glimpse of Israel...from Jordan height of land.

Heading to the Dead Sea

We thought we had that covered...just a short drive from Aqaba to the north end of the Dead Sea. There we would take a look at that oddity (400 m below sea level). Stay overnight and the next day...over the border to Israel. But of course, 5 hours later we arrive. How did that happen? Well, I’m using that new app — maps.me. It is a wonderful little app that works like google maps but offline. But we’re not too good at operating it as yet. So we set the route but didn’t press start, so it was showing where we were going rather than where we should go. So we ended up on this little road heading out of Wadi Musa, past Little Petra (who knew) and the road got smaller, and twister, and then smaller, and we were climbing up and up and up. And the road got smaller and narrower. An occasional donkey cart. Bedouin settlement. Then nothing. Just that narrow, serpentine road. We eventually came to the height of land. What a view. I think it was our first sighting of Israel. Fabulous. Then we had to come down from that height of land. I closed my eyes.

We came along the Western Jordanian border. There were a lot of very poor people living along this border. Looked like market gardening was the main industry. Until we got to the potash mines at the south end of the Dead Sea. This whole area was poor and extremely ugly. People were living in shacks that used some sort of poly to keep out the wind. This was in great contrast to the beautiful farms in the Jordan Valley. Towns were as poor as anything we ever saw in Africa. Even when we got to what the map said was a resort area we were taken aback by the lack of resort infrastructure. There didn’t seem to be any resorts that were close to the sea. We can see Israel across the sea. This land is so poor that we can’t understand why anyone is fighting over it. Lots of times we’ve said this. The land is so rocky and mountainous. Desert, rock fields.

When we finally reached the north of the sea we drove in circles for quite a time to find the hotel. No signage. Then when we finally reached the hotel we find a fairly new Ramada, with a fence and gate...and a man who checks for bombs. So we passed that test. We got checked in and then discovered that all our worldly goods would have to be handed over in order to eat at the hotel. What a price! Crazy. Who are they feeding at that price. By that time we were pretty tired and a little Hangry. So off we went to a little restaurant that was on the main road. So I go in to check out the menu and while I’m there, Bestie’s Man discovers he can’t open the car door. He’s locked in! Haha. A man steps up to help. Eventually it’s fixed. He’s out! So the restaurant doesn’t have hummus. The man who helped said, “Just go next door to the convenience store and buy some. You can bring it to the restaurant.” And that is what we did. We ordered fried chicken and grilled chicken (the best we’ve had so far this trip— and that is saying something) and brought hummus from next door and had wonderful bread. All for a pittance. And a cat came in from outside and shared our leftovers. Don’t you just love this country! People were so friendly and helpful. The food was so good. The cat was friendly. No more Hangry!

In the morning Bestie and I headed down to the sea. We only had about an hour as the man from the car company was coming to pick up the car and drop us at King Hussein Bridge (Allenby Bridge). I rubbed the mud on, then went into the ocean. A couple who were already there told me to walk in and then sit. so I did. And I floated. It was next to impossible to push my legs down. I know that sounds crazy. So I had to turn and propel myself backwards with my arms until I got to shallow water. It felt unnatural. I’d been warned not to get the water in my eyes or even on my face as it would burn. The mud came off, sort of oily. It stuck to my cuticles and under my nails. It was a ‘sperience!

And off to the crossing. We’d been warned that trouble could be had at this bridge. It is the only crossing for the Palestinians coming from the West Bank. They can cross into Jordan and fly out of their airport or continue into the Middle East. Of course the Israelis are touchy about the Palestinians. The Jordanians are touchy about the Israelis that are coming into their country or going out. So everyone is on edge. The men at the crossing were grim. Uniforms and guns. Not the friendly Jordanians that we’d been encountering incountry. Not that they were unpleasant. Just serious. But we were dropped off and walked into Jordan customs, paid our exit fee and then boarded a shuttle bus that would take us to the Israel border. The system they have set up seems to me to be awkward in the extreme. They take our passports when we pay, (10 Dinars) then we wait, then we go out and put our luggage on the bus, board the bus...all without any instruction. A very nice Chinese man helped us. And a priest also offered assurances that we were doing the right thing and that our passports would be returned. And sure enough, a man came on with a pack of passports and matched them up with the faces on the bus. We paid him the fee to ride the bus. 8.5 Dinars each. What they were doing with those passports I can’t imagine.

We drove awhile, waited awhile. A Jordanian policeman came on and checked a passport or two, looked us over. We drove some more. Checkpoint. Then we were at Israeli customs. Another lineup. Luggage goes through a big scanner. We waited quite a while for it. Took a long time for the luggage to come through. But I had some time to look around. There were women working there. I hadn’t realized how much I missed them. They were, generally, smiling and cheerful, helpful. The men were friendly, although I noticed there were several men just watching. They had security tags on and were just leaning on the wall, watching. Many soldiers with big guns stood around but did not appear threatening to us.

I have to say that the magic word is “Canadian”. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve said this and been fast tracked through security lines, scanner lines. Welcome, Welcome! It’s wonderful to be Canadian.

We got through Israeli customs. So from start to finish, about 3 hours. Not bad. No problems, just waiting.

And we’re in Israel. It is immediately more organized, more European. Everything is done quickly and completely. We get a taxi and we’re off to Jerusalem. The country is neat and tidy. Great road. It is obvious we have left Jordan. It’s 45 minutes to our hotel. So glad to be here

[greenprophet]

300 nudes pose to save the Dead Sea

300 nudes pose to save the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is dying. Lack of natural run-off from the River Jordan, and an ecological disaster created from mineral mining by the Dead Sea Works and Arab Potash – for fertilizers – has created a situation where the Dead Sea is retreating quickly. The retreat has created an imbalance which results in dangerous sinkholes that can pop up at any time engulfing whole roads or a hotel…

[retiredguys]

Day 9.   McNulty’s on the Prairie.

Today was pension day, we visited a salt lake, and found the McNultys on the prairie in Nokomis.

Lanigan (where we slept) is a little closer to the Potash action in Saskatchewan so there is more going on there than in Nokomis.   Bob toured one section of town on foot last night and this morning took in the rest of the sites.   For you older Leafs fans you’ll be happy to know that Bobby Baun hails from Lanigan and had a street named after him in Lanigan.   The choices for breakfast were either the golf course or the Esso station, and we couldn’t find the golf course.

Before anything else today Bob and I had to check with our banks to make sure our pension cheques had been deposited, and satisfied we still had money we headed out for the day.   First stop for us was Lake Manitou, located 30 minutes from Lanigan, past some Potash mines.   Any time we are going near Saskatchewan I get travel advice from my Bayfield friend Pattie MacDonald.   She told us of a basin not far from Nokomis that contains a salt lake, Lake Manitou - and its as salty as the Dead Sea.   We arrived early to Manitou and discovered there was a whole resort thing going on there - hotels, spas, artists & artisans, cottages - right in the middle of Saskatchewan.   The only issue was that the lake level has been rising and there has been a 4-6 foot levy constructed to protect the resort town.   There must be some climate change happening near Manitou.

After Manitou we headed to Nokomis to see what we could find out about the McNulty clan.   Our great-aunt Gertrude Flood, who was born 1891 in Manitoba, had married Tom McNulty and together they sought their fortune on the prairie.   Nokomis is only 400 people but they have an incredible museum, and like our previous stop in Hartney, there is an archive section.    In the morning we poured through the archive materials but did not find the kind of help we need - most of the materials dealt with time periods well after our 1920ish target.   We were able to learn where their “farm” was and found that Thomas and Gertrude’s parents were buried in the local cemetery.   Not much else for us to find out.  

Lunch was at the local Chinese - Canadian diner.   We had lunch with Eric Jesski (?) - a local who had studied music in Rochester, NY then a Masters in Minnesota.   He was a tenor who made a couple of recordings and his grand-daughter is in her fourth year at Western (in London).   He could not help us with the McNulty’s but we did learn from the museum people that they had lived across the street from the school.

After lunch we trekked through the Nokomis cemetery and found the McNulty family plot and a marker for Thomas’ father, Thomas I - no other graves had a marker so we’re not sure anyone else is buried there.    Over at the town hall we learned that Thomas II’s mother Ellen Regan may be buried there but there was no recorded date for that - and Thomas II’s brother PH McNulty (Patrick) owned either 8 or 9 empty plots.  Inconclusive.   Ted Merrifield, a McNulty genealogist, is going to have to tell us if Ellen is buried in Nokomis because we could not tell based on evidence we had.  The retired guys next drove over to where the McNulty farm was, south of town, but there was no house nor ruins.   Reports from the museum were that the farming in the area was poor due to soil conditions and most land in the area had been reverted to pastureland - concession roads were mostly never built because of this.

It was late in the day so we set a goal to get closer to the Alberta border for the next day’s journey and we ended up in Moose Jaw.   Cool name.   We listened to two more stories from Dubliners on our drive - Two Gallants and The Boarding House.  We were not sure what was happening in Two Gallants but there was some kind of treachery where a maid is relieved of a gold coin.   The Boarding House was an interesting tale where a jaded boarding house owner coldly makes compensation for her daughter’s honour a transaction.   Tomorrow we’ll arrive to Bernie and Kathleen’s place near Lethbridge.

[staches-and-sabres]

“The Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha”

An excerpt from Germany: the Spirit of her History, Literature, Social Condition, and National Economy, [&c] by Dr Francis Bisset Hawkins, published in 1838.  Printed in The Saturday Magazine, dated 4 January 1840.

     Coburg is a country which has been as yet little visited by travellers, because it does not lie in the course of the great roads; but the fine scenery, the unsophisticated and original old German tone of manners, the economical mode of living, and the celebrity of its reigning family, will probably gradually attract many strangers.

     The ducal house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is of the Lutheran religion.  The reigning duke is Ernest, born January 2, 1784, who succeeded to the throne, December 9, 1806.  He was married, first to Louisa, princess of Saxe-Gotha, from whom he was separated in 1826, and who died in 1832 [blogger’s note: actually, in 1831], and secondly, in 1832, to Maria, daughter of the late Duke Alexander of Würtemberg [blogger’s note: Maria was also the daughter of Ernest’s late older sister Antoinette, which the author conveniently doesn’t mention].  He has two sons, Ernest, the heir apparent, born June 21, 1818, and Albert*, born the succeeding year.  Of his two sisters, Julia, married to Prince Constantine of Russia, from whom she was divorced in 1820, is dead; the other is Victoria, duchess of Kent, born August 17, 1786: he has also two brothers, Ferdinand, born 1785, and Leopold, king of the Belgians, born 1790.  The former has three sons and one daughter; the eldest son, Ferdinand, is married to Donna Maria, queen of Portugal.

[Featured at this point in the article is a chart of statistics regarding the Principalities of Coburg and Gotha, which just isn’t plausible to try to replicate here because of the format.  Basically, Gotha is about three times larger and more populated than Coburg, and their combined area is roughly 37.6 square miles.]  According to the latest census, the entire population amounts to 131,861.

     The principal towns are, Gotha (13,006 inhabitants), and Coburg (9067).  With the exception of the Jews, all the inhabitants are Germans, and all are Lutherans, except 2000 Catholics and 1000 Jews.

     In this duchy, there are three gymnasiums and classical schools, one academical gymnasium, two seminaries for schoolmasters, one ladies’ school (at Coburg), thirty-five town schools, and 300 village schools.  The revenue is 1,100,000 florins.  The public debt amounts to 3,000,000 florins.  The contingent to the army of the confederacy is 1366 men.

     The government is a constitutional monarchy: the representatives form one chamber only.  Gotha, however, has still its old diet (three classes in one chamber).  The qualification to vote for a deputy of the nobles is constituted by the possession of a seignorial estate (Rittergut).  For the deputies of towns, every citizen is entitled to vote who has never been a bankrupt, and who has not been punished for transgression of the laws.

     In the villages, the householders form the constituency.  The deputies must be of the Christian religion, citizens of the state, thirty years of age, and men of unblemished reputation.  Those of the towns and villages must must have either an estate free from incumbrances, worth 5000 florins, or an annual income of 400 florins.  Officers of the government appointed for the purpose, superintend the election of the knights and of the citizens: in the villages, the elections are superintended by the ordinary officials.

     The ministry is composed of one minister of state, and of three privy-councillors.

     The highest court of justice is the supreme court of appeal; the lower courts are the colleges of justice at Coburg and Gotha; and finally, throughout the country, justice is administered by bailiffs, magistrates, and patrimonial judges.

     The chief officers of the court are, a first marshal of the court, and a grand equerry.

     The present Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was formerly Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Saalfeld, but, in 1826, he ceded the latter, and obtained the duchy of Gotha, with exception of the lordship of Kranichfeld.  After this change of territory, one of the first acts of his government was the creation of a privy-council, consisting of the officers of government both in Coburg and Gotha.  A decree of October 30, 1828, established in each duchy a separate college of justice, which takes cognizance of matrimonial matters, formerly falling under the jurisdiction of the consistorial court.  Each duchy has its own system of internal administration, taxation, and excise.  On the other hand, for both Coburg and Gotha, there is only one high consistorial court for ecclesiastical affairs and for public instruction, and only one war-office.  According to the new regulations, the fees which were formerly claimed by the officials, are now the property of the state.  In 1830, a journal was established for the more prompt promulgation of laws and edicts.  On the 1st of July, 1829, the army was reorganized, so that the soldiers of both duchies (1366 in number) were made to form one infantry regiment of the line, divided into two battalions.

     The funds for the preservation and increase of the books, pictures, and coins, at Gotha, have been lately enlarged.  The government has particularly distinguished itself in encouraging trade and commerce.  Monopolies were abolished in Coburg, so early as 1812; in Gotha, in 1829.  Exhibitions of home products and trade schools have been established; and all impediments to commerce have been removed.

     The French revolution of 1830, produced a temporary sensation in Coburg and Gotha, which led to no important results.  But in the distant principality of Lichtenberg, which had been ceded to the duke by the Congress of Vienna, in 1816, its effects were such as not only to disquiet the inhabitants, but also to weaken the moral force of the government.  Awakened by these circumstances to a sense of the difficulty of governing a separate territory, inhabited by a restless population, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha has since sold the principality of Lichtenberg to the King of Prussia.

     In this duchy no preference is given to birth in electing officers of state.  Difference of religion does not affect the equal enjoyment of political rights.  Every citizen is bound to serve for a certain period in the army, should he be chosen by lot, or to find a substitute.  No citizen can remain in arrest for the space of twenty-four hours without being informed of the cause of his apprehension.

     The territories of the Duke of Gotha lie in Thuringia; they are extremely fertile, well cultivated, and thickly populated.  Agriculture is their principal source of prosperity.  The northern districts are plains, intersected by chains of hills; the south is mountainous and woody.

     The principal products are corn, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables, flax, poppies, aniseed, woad [blogger’s note: a flowering plant whose leaves have long been used to make blue dye], and an immense quantity of wood, which is the staple article.  A few hops are grown; there is not much fruit, and the wine is only made for vinegar.  There are plenty of pigs and poultry, but the horses are of an inferior breed.  The country contains mines of iron, manganese, coal, and slate.  There are numerous worsted-spinners and linen-weavers, particularly in the hilly districts.  There are also woollen and cotton manufactories, but they are not very numerous.  Other articles of manufacture are iron-ware, wire, copper goods, stockings, tobacco, glue, leather, and soap.  There are five paper-mills, three porcelain, and three hardware manufactories.

     The exports are corn, wood, wool, woad, manganese, pitch, potash, bilberries, coriander-seeds, aniseed, butter, linen, iron goods, sausages, and livers of geese.

     Coburg, the capital of the principality of Coburg, and formerly the residence of the duke, is situated in a delightful country; it contains more than 800 houses, and about 9000 inhabitants.  One of the most prominent public buildings is the palace of Ehrenburg, in which the present duke has made large improvements.  It now contains a library, a cabinet of natural history, of medals and prints, and an armoury.  In the neighbourhood of the town is the castle of Coburg, which contains a workhouse and a house of correction.  In the town itself is a gymnasium, supplied with a library, with specimens of natural history, and medals.  There are a senate house, an orphan asylum, a casino, an armoury, and a government house, built in an Italian style of architecture.  Amongst the curiosities of the place are Luther’s room, which contains some beautiful woodwork, and the alabaster monument of Duke John Frederic, in the church of St. Maurice.  The principal places of amusement are the theatre, the casino, the redoute, and the musical club.  In the neighbourhood are the beautiful old and new walks, the ruins of the castles of Callenberg and Lauterburg, and the lovely seat of the duke, the Rosenau.

     Gotha, the capital of the duchy of Gotha, and also a residence of the present duke, contains about 1300 houses, and 13,000 inhabitants.  The palace of Friedenstein contains a very good library, a collection of coins, a museum of natural history, a Chinese cabinet, a picture gallery, and remarkable collections made by the late duke,-- the whole forming a treasure of literature and art, such as few moderate towns can boast of.  In 1824, the museum, which was given to the country by the late duke, Frederic, was opened.  The ducal libraries contain 150,000 volumes.  The walls and fortifications of the town have been changed into ornamental walks.  Near the town is the observatory on the Seeberg, 1189 feet above the level of the sea.  In the neighbourhood, too, is the palace of Friedreichsthal, containing some valuable monuments of Italian art, and the orangery and park, where the Dukes Ernest and Augustus are buried.

     The chief places of amusement and public resort here, are the theatre, ball-rooms, and public gardens.  In the neighbourhood of Gotha are two ducal palaces, and the Moravian colony of Neudietendorf.

     The house of Saxe-Coburg is indisputably the most fortunate of all the existing great families of Europe.  No common lot has attended them in our time, and they appear destined to fill a remarkable place in modern history.  The reigning duke has succeeded to the inheritance of the duchy of Saxe-Gotha, which he enjoys in addition to his original sovereignty of Coburg.  His brother, Leopold, was born under an extraordinary star; he first married the heiress to the British throne, and subsequently a daughter of the King of the French; two ladies not less amiable than elevated; and, after declining the throne of Greece, he has been chosen King of Belgium.  One sister espoused the Archduke Constantine of Russia, and thus in the ordinary course of events would have become Empress of all the Russias.  The history of another sister, the Duchess of Kent, is too well known to require comment; she is the mother of the Queen of England.  Another brother has married one of the greatest heiresses of the Austrian empire, the daughter of the Prince of Kohary, and occupies the high post of lieutenant field-marshal, in the service of the emperor.  Finally, a nephew of the Duchess of Kent is the reigning King of Portugal.  An impartial review of the progress of this distinguished race compels us to add that it does not owe its success to unworthy intrigue; its members bear their great estate with prudence, with good sense, and with moderation; and their domestic qualities form an antidote to the venom which generally pursues a career of success.

[priyanka16me]

Magnesium Derivatives Market to Record an Exponential CAGR by 2027

Key Highlights of Magnesium Derivatives Market

The global magnesium derivatives market was valued at ~US$ 37 Bn in 2018. The magnesium derivatives market across the globe is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of ~5% during the forecast period.

The global magnesium derivatives market is driven by the rise in THE demand for agriculture and wastewater treatment.

Asia Pacific accounts for A major share of the global magnesium derivatives market, led by the strong demand for fertilizers and wastewater treatment in the region.

Key Drivers of Global Magnesium Derivatives Market

Magnesium derivatives such as magnesium hydroxide, magnesium sulfate, and magnesium chloride carry smoke suppressant and flame retardant properties. Magnesium derivatives are employed to reduce flammability in a wide range of materials.

Rise in THE number of fire incidents and increase in fire safety regulations & guidelines across the world are boosting the usage of flame retardants. Major industries are also taking proactive steps to avoid fire incidents. This is expected to drive the demand for flame retardants, thereby propelling the global magnesium derivatives market during the forecast period.

Increase in the demand for food, decrease in cultivation area, rise in the demand for sulfur-free fertilizers, and growth in magnesium deficiency of soil owing to the usage of ammonia-based fertilizers are some of the key factors driving the demand for magnesium oxide in the fertilizers industry. This, in turn, is augmenting the global magnesium derivatives market.

Rising Demand for Dead Burnt Magnesite to Offer Lucrative Opportunities

Dead burnt magnesia (DBM)/refractory magnesia is primarily used as a key component in refractory materials such as bricks, refractory mortars, gunning material, and cement. It is used to manufacture magnesium oxide, which is employed in several applications, including refractory and steel industries. DBM is resistant to corrosion, chemicals, and high heat. The steel & iron industry is a key consumer of DBM.

The consumption of DBM has been increasing due to the rise in the demand for steel refractory materials across the world. According to the World Steel Association, global steel production increased by 5.2% in 2018. Rise in the consumption of steel leads to an increase in the consumption of steel refractory bricks.

China is a key manufacturer and consumer of steel across the globe. It is a prominent producer of magnesite in the world, followed by Turkey and Russia. The country accounts for 50% share of MgO exports in the world.

Favorable economic conditions, growth in investments in infrastructure, and rise in industrialization in developing economies are key factors boosting the demand for dead burnt magnesite. This is anticipated to provide lucrative opportunities to the magnesium derivatives market.

To obtain all-inclusive information on forecast analysis of Global Magnesium Derivatives  Market , request a PDF brochure here.

Fluctuation in Raw Material Prices to Hamper Magnesium Derivatives Market

Raw materials such as magnesite, dolomite, brucite, and olivine minerals are employed in the manufacture of magnesium derivatives as well as magnesium. Manufacturers of magnesium derivatives are dependent on suppliers to meet their requirements for raw materials.

Historically, the prices of magnesium derivatives have increased and decreased due to factors related to raw materials such as availability and supply. The prices of raw materials depend upon the production and supply of and demand for magnesium across the globe.

Regulations imposed on mining also hamper the production of magnesium derivatives. Increase in duties on imports and exports is another factor responsible for fluctuation in the prices of raw materials.

Volatility in availability and fluctuating prices of raw materials can significantly hamper the global magnesium derivatives market. It can reduce the production and consumption of magnesium derivatives. It can also negatively affect the adoption of magnesium derivative-based applications.

Asia Pacific Dominates Global Magnesium Derivatives Market

Asia Pacific held ~50% share of the global magnesium derivatives market in 2018. China is one of the major consumers of magnesia and magnesite in the region.

The magnesium derivatives market in Asia Pacific is witnessing significant growth, due to an increase in the demand for high-strength steel in various end-user industries in developing economies such as China, India, and ASEAN. The market in India is projected to expand at a prominent CAGR during the forecast period, due to the growth of the country’s economy, rise in urban population, and advancements in the construction industry.

Trade deficit and instability in the prices of raw materials are anticipated to restrain the markets in in North America and Europe

Increase in construction activities in Colombia and GCC and rise in the demand for MgO in animal feed and fertilizer industries in Latin America are expected to boost the global magnesium derivatives market during the forecast period.

REQUEST FOR COVID19 IMPACT ANALYSIS -https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=covid19&rep_id=74098

Varying Market Share of Individual Magnesium Derivatives

YINGKOU MAGNESITE CHEMICAL IND GROUP CO., LTD is a leading player in the magnesium oxide as well as magnesite industry based in China. RHI Magnesite, Grecian Magnesite, Ube Industries Limited, and Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties are the key players operating in the magnesium oxide segment. Other players include Nedmag B.V., Kyowa Chemical Industry Co, and MAGNESIA GmbH.

K+S Group is a leading company operating in the magnesium chloride segment of the market. It accounted for 22.4% share in 2018. Compass Minerals, Intrepid Potash, Inc., Israel Chemical Company, and Karnalyte Resources Inc. together held 24.7% share of the market in 2018. Other key players operating in the magnesium chloride segment include Nedmag B.V., Prochem, Inc., and Rainbow Expochem Company.

The magnesium hydroxide segment is dominated by Japan- as well as China-based manufacturers. Konoshima Chemicals, Co Ltd and Kyowa Chemicals Industry Co Ltd are some of the players based in Japan that are engaged in the manufacture of magnesium hydroxide. Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties, Xinyang Minerals Group, and YINGKOU MAGNESITE CHEMICAL IND GROUP CO., LTD, together, held 16.7% share of the magnesium hydroxide industry in 2018. Other key players include Nedmag B.V., Huber Engineered Materials, and MAGNESIA GmbH.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rising-international-sea-trade-will-help-bunker-fuel-market-revenue-to-reach-worth-of-us177-8-bn-by-2027-end-observes-tmr-301022269.html

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/animal-feed-amino-acids-market-to-reach-valuation-of-us-14-1-bn-by-2027-developing-concerns-about-animal-health-stimulates-the-growth-of-global-market-noted-tmr-301026065.html

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://www.yaroreviews.info/2018/08/israel-seeks-early-re-tender-of-mining-rights-to-shore-up-dead-sea

Israel seeks early re-tender of mining rights to shore up Dead Sea

Your ads will be inserted here by

Easy Ads.

Please go to the plugin admin page to set up your ad code.

EIN BOKEK, Israel (Reuters) – The Dead Sea is shrinking at the rate of approximately a meter a year, leaving behind abandoned beaches & sinkholes in a slow-motion environmental disaster.

The main culprit is the drying up of the Jordan river, its main tributary, as communities upstream draw on it for farming & drinking. But mineral extraction makes the crisis worse – of the 700-800 million cubic meters of water lost each year, 250-350 million cubic meters is due to mining, Israel estimates.

Up to now, the Israeli government has rarely intervened in the operations of the biggest extractor: the Dead Sea Works, previously state-owned & now operated under a 70-year concession by Israel Chemicals (ICL).

That is approximately to change.

Israel wants to re-tender the Dead Sea mining concession as much as eight years ahead of schedule, in 2022. It is motivated not only by environmental concerns yet in addition by worries ICL will hold off on new investments in the concession’s final years.

The government believes ICL will agree to its proposal, first because the firm will have the right of first refusal yet in addition because it too has a powerful reason to scrap the current concession: an article that gives the government the rights to interfere in investments starting in 2020.

The plant is one of ICL’s core assets, producing potash that goes into fertilizers, bromine for flame retardants & other products sold for billions of dollars worldwide.

The company, controlled by billionaire Idan Ofer’s Israel Corp, has not made its position clear. It declined to donate an instant comment on its stance when contacted by Reuters.

“This is a one-time opportunity, as the concession comes to an end & we enter a new period, to set standards for the factory’s operations & the environmental impact on the whole area,” said Galit Cohen, deputy director-general for policy & planning at the Environmental Protection Ministry.

Cohen was on the high-ranking inter-ministerial committee that produced a preliminary report in May with guidelines that aim to balance profits with environmental interests in the Dead Sea for the first time.

At the moment, ICL is largely free to do whatever it wants to maximize production, Cohen said, speaking to Reuters underneath a date tree on a northern beach at the lake.

“They have no incentive to reduce the amount of water they pump or think approximately from where they obtain the soil to build their dikes,” she said.

The Dead Sea has been popular for millennia for health seekers & tourists who come to drift in its high-density waters & smear its mud on their skin. Without intervention, it will keep losing water, fundamental to the mineral extraction process, though experts believe it may eventually reach equilibrium at a much smaller size.

ICL said in a July 5 letter to the committee that its report raised “complicated legal, economic, operational & engineering issues, & ICL has meaningful reservations approximately part of what was said in it”.

“The company is studying the report & will relate to it as customary within the framework of the public hearing,” ICL said in a statement to Reuters.

A general view shows Dead Sea Works factory at the Dead Sea, Israel July 17, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

In its 2017 annual report, the company said its ability to refinance debt in the next decade “… depends, among other things, on extension of the concession beyond 2030.”

SETTING LIMITS

Your ads will be inserted here by

Easy Ads.

Please go to the plugin admin page to set up your ad code.

The factory’s new license, whose term has not been set, will include pumping limits coupled with financial incentives to use less water, the committee’s report said. The amount of territory open to quarrying & drilling for wells will be reduced.

Final recommendations due around September are not expected to differ materially from the interim report’s, said a senior government official, who asked not to be identified given the sensitivity of the issue.

“We think everyone has an interest in making the tender earlier,” the official said. “The value of the asset gets lower as we obtain closer to the end of the concession period & it’s unclear what will happen after 2030.”

When the company was privatized in the 1990s, the government kept a “golden share” that gave it some oversight, in addition to the obligation under the terms of the concession that the company seek its approval for any new investment.

Michael Vatine, an analyst with Halman-Aldubi Investment House, said ICL was likely to want to avoid a decade of close government scrutiny.

“I think the company understands it needs to clear the fog regarding the long-term … & not leave its investors feeling uncertain,” he said.

With revenue of $5.4 billion in 2017, ICL manufactures a range of products from industrial chemicals to food additives. It is the world’s sixth-largest producer of potash & supplies approximately a third of the world’s bromine, used in fire retardants.

The company does not share publicly how much of its revenues come from the Dead Sea, where it in addition mines magnesium & salts.

Costs at the factory are lower than at conventional mines, which are often hundreds of meters deep. Solar evaporation is less energy intensive & the climate allows mountains of potash to be stored external & sold when prices are high.

According to their annual reports, ICL produced 3.7 million tonnes of potash at the Dead Sea in 2017 vs 2.1 million tonnes extracted by Arab Potash, which has exclusive rights on the Jordanian side that expire in 2058.

As ICL describes it, there is a virtually unlimited supply.

Bidders in a new tender would likely include the usual suspects from the small number of main potash producers, including Russia’s Uralkali, Germany’s K+S AG & Canada’s Nutrien, the report said.

Committee chair Yoel Naveh said it was possible competitors would be scared off by ICL’s many advantages: not just right of first refusal yet in addition its deep knowledge of the project.

“The state needs to set a price & below that not donate it to a private concessionaire,” he told parliament in June.

Slideshow (14 Images)

If the minimum failed to be met, the state should take over, he said. If someone else won, ICL would be compensated, he said, without naming a figure.

Editing by Sonya Hepinstall

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Your ads will be inserted here by

Easy Ads.

Please go to the plugin admin page to set up your ad code.

[newsintodays-blog]

Israel seeks early re-tender of mining rights to shore up Dead Sea

New Post has been published on https://newsintoday.info/2018/08/12/israel-seeks-early-re-tender-of-mining-rights-to-shore-up-dead-sea/

Israel seeks early re-tender of mining rights to shore up Dead Sea

EIN BOKEK, Israel (Reuters) – The Dead Sea is shrinking at the rate of about a meter a year, leaving behind deserted beaches and sinkholes in a slow-motion environmental disaster.

A general view shows Dead Sea Works factory at the Dead Sea, Israel July 17, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

The main culprit is the drying up of the Jordan river, its main tributary, as communities upstream draw on it for farming and drinking. But mineral extraction makes the crisis worse – of the 700-800 million cubic meters of water lost each year, 250-350 million cubic meters is due to mining, Israel estimates.

Up to now, the Israeli government has rarely intervened in the operations of the biggest extractor: the Dead Sea Works, formerly state-owned and now operated under a 70-year concession by Israel Chemicals (ICL).

That is about to change.

Israel wants to re-tender the Dead Sea mining concession as much as eight years ahead of schedule, in 2022. It is motivated not only by environmental concerns but also by worries ICL will hold off on new investments in the concession’s final years.

The government believes ICL will agree to its proposal, first because the firm will have the right of first refusal but also because it too has a powerful reason to scrap the current concession: an article that gives the government the rights to interfere in investments starting in 2020.

The plant is one of ICL’s core assets, producing potash that goes into fertilizers, bromine for flame retardants and other products sold for billions of dollars worldwide.

The company, controlled by billionaire Idan Ofer’s Israel Corp, has not made its position clear. It declined to give an immediate comment on its stance when contacted by Reuters.

“This is a one-time opportunity, as the concession comes to an end and we enter a new period, to set standards for the factory’s operations and the environmental impact on the whole area,” said Galit Cohen, deputy director-general for policy and planning at the Environmental Protection Ministry.

Cohen was on the high-ranking inter-ministerial committee that produced a preliminary report in May with guidelines that aim to balance profits with environmental interests in the Dead Sea for the first time.

A general view shows hotels on the shore of the Dead Sea, Israel July 17, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

At the moment, ICL is largely free to do whatever it wants to maximize production, Cohen said, speaking to Reuters underneath a date tree on a northern beach at the lake.

“They have no incentive to reduce the amount of water they pump or think about from where they get the earth to build their dikes,” she said.

The Dead Sea has been popular for millennia for health seekers and tourists who come to float in its high-density waters and smear its mud on their skin. Without intervention, it will keep losing water, essential to the mineral extraction process, though experts believe it may eventually reach equilibrium at a much smaller size.

ICL said in a July 5 letter to the committee that its report raised “complicated legal, economic, operational and engineering issues, and ICL has significant reservations about part of what was said in it”.

“The company is studying the report and will relate to it as customary within the framework of the public hearing,” ICL said in a statement to Reuters.

In its 2017 annual report, the company said its ability to refinance debt in the next decade “… depends, among other things, on extension of the concession beyond 2030.”

SETTING LIMITS

The factory’s new license, whose term has not been set, will include pumping limits coupled with financial incentives to use less water, the committee’s report said. The amount of territory open to quarrying and drilling for wells will be reduced.

Final recommendations due around September are not expected to differ materially from the interim report’s, said a senior government official, who asked not to be identified given the sensitivity of the issue.

“We think everyone has an interest in making the tender earlier,” the official said. “The value of the asset gets lower as we get closer to the end of the concession period and it’s unclear what will happen after 2030.”

When the company was privatized in the 1990s, the government kept a “golden share” that gave it some oversight, in addition to the obligation under the terms of the concession that the company seek its approval for any new investment.

Slideshow (13 Images)

Michael Vatine, an analyst with Halman-Aldubi Investment House, said ICL was likely to want to avoid a decade of close government scrutiny.

“I think the company understands it needs to clear the fog regarding the long-term … and not leave its investors feeling uncertain,” he said.

With revenue of $5.4 billion in 2017, ICL manufactures a range of products from industrial chemicals to food additives. It is the world’s sixth-largest producer of potash and supplies about a third of the world’s bromine, used in fire retardants.

The company does not share publicly how much of its revenues come from the Dead Sea, where it also mines magnesium and salts.

Costs at the factory are lower than at conventional mines, which are often hundreds of meters deep. Solar evaporation is less energy intensive and the climate allows mountains of potash to be stored outside and sold when prices are high.

According to their annual reports, ICL produced 3.7 million tonnes of potash at the Dead Sea in 2017 vs 2.1 million tonnes extracted by Arab Potash, which has exclusive rights on the Jordanian side that expire in 2058.

As ICL describes it, there is a virtually unlimited supply.

Bidders in a new tender would likely include the usual suspects from the small number of leading potash producers, including Russia’s Uralkali, Germany’s K+S AG and Canada’s Nutrien, the report said.

Committee chair Yoel Naveh said it was possible competitors would be scared off by ICL’s numerous advantages: not just right of first refusal but also its deep knowledge of the project.

“The state needs to set a price and below that not give it to a private concessionaire,” he told parliament in June.

If the minimum failed to be met, the state should take over, he said. If someone else won, ICL would be compensated, he said, without naming a figure.

Editing by Sonya Hepinstall

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source link

[amazing10s02-blog]

10 Most Beautiful Sinkholes in the World.

A cavity in the ground, especially in the limestone formation, caused by water erosion and providing a route for surface water to disappear underground. These sinkholes can occur anytime or anywhere in the world. Here is the list of most beautiful sinkholes in the world.

Berezniki Sinkhole, Russia

Berezniki is a sinkhole in Russia. The sinkhole measures 80 meters long, 40 meters wide, and 200 meters wide. It started in 1986 after a potash mine in the area experienced massive flooding.

Dead Sea Holes, Israel

The town of EinGedi in Israel is home to several thousand sinkholes. These sinkholes occurred due to the chronic shortage of the water in the area, exacerbated by a large and growing population.

Qattara Depression, Egypt

The Qattara Depression in Egypt is the largest natural sinkhole on earth. It measures 50 miles in length and 75 miles in width. It occurred naturally from the winds that blew the salt beds right down to the water table.

Devil’s Sinkhole, Texas, America

The Devil’s Sinkhole is located in the Edward’s County in Texas. It measures 40 feet by 60 feet and has a sheer drop of over 400 feet.

Guatemala City’s Sinkholes, Guatemala

Guatemala does not have just one sinkhole but couple of scary and amazing sinkholes. The first sinkhole occurred because of the corroded sewage system underneath the city’s road. It has a drop equivalent to 30 stories.

Bimmah Sinkhole, Oman

The Bimmah sinkhole occurred naturally in the town of Dibab in Oman. It has clear blue water. As a result, residents and authorities have cashed in and turned place into a swimming park.

Sarisarinama Sinkhole, Venezuela

In Venezuela there are four sinkholes. Two of the four namely Sima Humboldt and Sima Martel are huge with the former measuring 352 meters in width and 314 meters in depth. Another sinkhole called the Sima da la Lluvia measures 1.35 kilometer long.

Heavenly Pit, China

The Heavenly Pit sinkhole in China is located in Xiaozhai, Tiankeng in the Chongqing District. It is a double nested sinkhole that measures 662 meters deep, 626 meters long, and 537 meters wide, with the upper bowl at 320 meters deep and the lower bowl at 342 meters.

Dean’s Blue Hole, Bahamas

Dean’s Blue sinkhole is the deepest sinkhole under the sea that is known t men. It goes down to the depth of 203 meters. It is probably one of the most beautiful sinkholes in the world.

Great Blue Hole, Belize

The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It measure 300 meters across and 124 meters deep and is the center of the Lighthouse Reef.

For more details on our products and services, please feel free to visit us atnews, viral news, latest tops, new story, recent news stories

[itsiotrecords-blog]

http://ift.tt/2rjcNkm

The terms snake hole, swallow hole, sink, swallet, or doline are often used interchangeably but they all refer to the same thing – sinkholes. Those who have experienced this phenomenon were probably shocked to wake up one morning and find (if lucky) a big hole where their lawn used to be. Sinkholes can be found all over the world and can develop gradually or suddenly with no warning whatsoever. Take a look at our 25 most devastating sinkholes ever so you can understand the monstrosity of these occurrences.

#1 Qattara Depression Located in West Cairo, Egypt the Qattara Depression is the largest natural sinkhole in the world measuring 50 miles long by 75 miles wide. It is a 100% natural by-product of fierce which tear into the slimy salt beds right down to the water table. Due to its sheer size, scientists are attempting to develop a massive hydroelectric project that would harness the sinkhole’s hydroelectric energy potential. The plan for this project would require digging a ditch from the sinkhole’s edge to the Mediterranean and allowing the channeled water to fall into the sinkhole while passing through a series of hydro-electric penstocks thus creating energy.

#2 Mount Gambier Located between Adelaide and Melbourne in South East Australia, Mount Gambier is known for its geographical features such as water channels, caves, volcanic rocks, and the famous Blue Lake. Nicknamed “The city of craters”, its volcanic craters are actually naturally-occurring sinkholes that are filled with water thus creating gorgeous scenery.

#3 Berezniki The sinkhole in Berezniki, Soviet Russia began in 1986 as a result of a flooding event in a potash mine and has gradually worsened each passing year. At over 200m deep, 80m long and 40m wide, it is expected to swallow up the only rail line that leads to and from the potash mines, where 10% of the world’s potash used in fertilizer come from.

#4 South Florida Due to the weakening of the karst (a type of bedrock) in an urbanized area of South Florida, the ground gave way to a sizable sinkhole. The 20 feet wide by 10 feet deep sinkhole opened up near the University of South Florida in Tampa, swallowing a car and threatening a nearby condo. Eleven people were evacuated from the condo but thankfully no one was hurt (except for the car).

#5 Guatemala City 2007 In late February 2007, residents of Guatemala City heard some rumbling underneath them but were not sure what was happening until instantly a near-perfect circle of earth dropped some 30 stories. The sink hole killed two and forced the evacuation of over 1,000 people. Authorities believed that the sinkhole was the result of a corroded sewage system deep beneath the surface.

#6 Guatemala City 2010 Another giant sinkhole in Guatemala City swallowed a three-story building on May 2010. This 60 ft. wide by 200 ft. deep sinkhole could have been developing for weeks or even years, however the flood waters from the tropical storm Agatha accelerated the sinkhole’s growth and caused it to finally collapse.

#7 Bowling Green Undertaking a major development in Bowling Green, Kentucky can be a very risky business since the city is dotted with naturally-occurring sinks that could open up at any time. One of these sinks halted the plans for the construction of the Trimodal Transpark after the 200ft wide sinkhole gave way near the construction site.

#8 The Sinai Blue Hole (Dahab) A popular (and dangerous) diving site on east Sinai on the coast of the Red Sea a few miles north of the small town of Dahab, The Sinai Blue Hole is a submarine sinkhole which is around 130m deep. The sink hole is renowned for scuba attempts and free-diving, while the surrounding area has an abundance of corals and reef fish. However, it is also renowned for its danger and has been labeled “the World’s most dangerous dive site”.

#9 The Devil’s Sinkhole The Devil’s Sinkhole in Edward’s County Texas is a limestone wonder that has a 40 ft. x 60 ft. opening and a total drop of 400 ft. The sink is famous for being a vertical natural bat habitat for the Mexican Free Tailed Bat which houses an estimated 3 million bats.

#10 Boesmansgat The Boesmansgat, also known as the “Bushman’s Hole,” is believed to be the third-deepest freshwater sinkhole in the world. Approximately 270m (886 ft.) deep, the Boesmansgat in the Northern Cape province of South Africa was first explored by amateur diver Mike Rathbourne in 1977 and is home to the Guinness Woman’s World Record for the deepest dive (a 221m dive by Verna van Schaik on November 24, 2004).

#11 Sarisariñama The most beautiful and most mysterious sinkholes of Venezuela are natural wonders which include four types of round basins containing their own unique ecosystem found nowhere else on earth. Scientists are clueless on the origin of the stunning sink holes.

#12 Saskatoon Sinkhole The combination of underground pipe problems and extremely bad weather produced a three-meter wide sinkhole that opened up in Idylwyld Drive in Saskatoon, Sasketchewan on March 12, 2012. The constant freezing and thawing; and an unseasonably warm winter put pressure on the underground pipes causing a 20-centimeter pipe under the roadway to break spewing water and compromising the road’s integrity.

#13 Bimmah Sinkhole One of nature’s great oddities has been turned into a virtual tourist trap. Residents of Bimmah Oman have turned a spectacular looking natural-occurring sinkhole into a swim park. Located about 6km from Dibab along the coast graded road from Muscat to Sur the Oman sink hole boasts of clear blue picturesque waters.

#14 Toronto Even the biggest city in Canada is not immune to sinkholes two of which appeared in the city of Toronto within the space of a few weeks: the 10m long, 3m wide fissure that ruptured from the street watermain at Woodbine Avenue and John Street on September 28, 2011 and the 30m long 1.5m deep sinkhole on Bayview Avenue on November 4th of the same year. Thankfully there were no casualties when these sinkholes happened.

#15 Agrico Gypsum Stack The most devastating sinkhole erosion in Florida occurred in 1994 when a 15-story sinkhole tore open right beneath an 80-million-ton pile of gypsum stack. The cave-in dumped 4 million to 6 million cubic feet of toxic and radioactive gypsum and waste water into the Floridian aquifer, which provides 90 percent of the state’s drinking water.

#16 Winnipeg Highway Sinkhole The most dramatic example of all the Canadian sinkholes happened on the highway of Manitoba where parts of the highway simply disappeared. After days of heavy rains with up to 12 inches of precipitation, 200 meters of highway 83 near Inglis was literally washed away with some points of the highway dropping to as low as 8m below its original surface point.

#17 Macungie The Macungie sinkhole which formed in June 1986 is a man-made sink hole attributed to aging water infrastructure. At 75 feet wide and 35 feet deep, it caused major disruption of traffic and utility services causing around $450,000 in stabilization and repair costs.

#18 Dead Sea Holes Several large sink holes have been appearing near Ein Gedi, Israel. The phenomenon stems from a dire water shortage, compounded in recent years by tourism and chemical industries as well as a growing population. There are over 3,000 open sinkholes along the coast and likely just as many that haven’t burst open yet.

#19 Daisetta, Texas What started out as a small 20-foot sinkhole in a residential neighborhood in Daisetta, Texas spread to over 900 ft. with a depth of 260 ft. within a day and consumed everything in its path. This former oil town sits on the Hull Salt Dome which is a four-mile-in-diameter geologic formation of compacted salt. Consequently, geologists speculate that years of storing saltwater waste -a byproduct of oil production- caused the massive pit.

#20 Red Lake

#21 Xiaozhai, Tiankeng Also known as the Heavenly Pit, this double-nested sinkhole has 662m deep vertical walls. Located in the Chongqing District, this sinkhole is arguably the ‘world’s largest sinkhole’ at 626m long, 537m wide and between 511 to 662m deep. It is a double-nested structure with an upper bowl of 320m deep, while its lower bowl is 342m deep, and both of them are on average 257 to 268m across. It’s said that the sinkhole formed over the last 128,000 years.

#22 Dean’s Blue Hole Located in Long Island, Bahamas Dean’s Blue Hole is the deepest known sinkhole under the sea at the depth of 203 meters. This is a popular location for world’s championship of free diving and it’s the location where William Trubridge broke a free diving record reaching a depth of 92 meters (302 ft.).

#23 Harwood Hole Located in Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand, Harwood Hole is one of several important cave systems in Takaka Hill, between the Tasman Bay and the Golden Bay. From the surface is a 50m round sinkhole entrance that descends into 183m. For adventurers, the long rope descent is considered to be one of the most spectacular caving experiences at Hardwood’s, which has an overall depth of 357m.

#24 Sima Humboldt The largest sinkhole in sandstone, Sima Humboldt is located on the summit of the plateau in Bolivar State, Venezuela. At 314m deep with vertical walls it is very unusual sink hole for several reasons: Its location is on top of the only forested tepui; it’s enormous in size and depth; and it has a patch of forest on its base due to the weathering process that formed the sinkhole.

#25 Great Blue Hole Part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO; the Great Blue Hole is a spectacular sinkhole at 124m deep with stilted stalactites as its most unusual features. The largest submarine sinkhole off the coast of Belize, it lies in the center of Lighthouse Reef. It is circular in shape, over 300m across and 124m deep and was formed during several episodes of Quaternary glaciations when sea levels were much lower.

Source: List25