The specific process employed will depend on factors such as the characteristics and constituents of the potash ore and the market specifications. Generally, the ore is reduced in size using a system of crushing and grinding to liberate the different miner- als from each other. This is usually followed by desliming by intense agitation followed by flotation or hydrocyclones to separate the fines consisting of clays, dolomite and sand from the potash ore. Four basic techniques are used to separate the waste minerals or by-products such as salt and concentrate the potash; flotation, electrostatic separation, thermal dissolution-crystallization, and heavy media separa- tion. Several of these may be used together to enhance recovery
