Research and engineering service provider for exploration, process technology and analytics of salts, minerals and lithium.
K-UTEC AG SALT TECHNOLOGIES
SondershausenNew on Amplifa
About K-UTEC
K-UTEC AG SALT TECHNOLOGIES is a research and engineering company based in Sondershausen, Thuringia, and the privatised successor of the Potash Research Institute of the Central German potash industry, founded in 1964. With around 100 employees, the company supports mining and raw materials industry projects worldwide: from geophysical exploration and geological resource assessment, through process development including laboratory and pilot tests in the company's own pilot plant facility (>1500 m²), to basic and detail engineering, delivery of key equipment, commissioning and operation optimisation. In process engineering, the focus is on the extraction and processing of inorganic salts and hydroxides of potassium, magnesium, lithium and boron as well as energy metals such as cobalt and copper. Further business areas include geomechanics and mining, backfill and disposal technology, seismic monitoring, geothermal services and Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE). A testing laboratory accredited to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 covers salt and environmental analytics as well as mineralogy.
- Site
- Sondershausen
- Processes
- Chemical-Physical Process Engineering – process development, basic/detail engineering,, Feasibility studies (Scoping, Prefeasibility, Bankable Feasibility to NI 43/101, CRIRSCO, JORC), Pilot tests in the pilot plant facility (>1500 m²) – complete processing processes on a tonne scale, Crushing and classification processes of raw materials, Mechanical separation processes, Solar and technically supported evaporation and crystallisation processes, Chemical-Physical Analytics (accredited testing laboratory to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018), salt, Determination of vibrations (immission control law, Group VI BImSchG,
- Materials
- Lithium salts/lithium carbonate, Potassium/potassium sulfate, Magnesium compounds (MgCl2, Mg products), Boron compounds, Cobalt salts, Copper salts, Potassium nitrate, Lithium alumino-silicate residues (LAR)
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 (accreditation testing laboratory CPA, incl., ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 17025 (testing laboratory), Body under § 29b BImSchG (vibrations, Group VI)
- Founded
- 1992
- Employees
- ca. 100
- Industries
- Mining and raw materials industry, Potash mining, Lithium / energy metals, Fertiliser production, Chemical industry, Geothermal energy
- 01
Geophysical exploration and geological resource assessment
- 02
Feasibility studies (Scoping, Prefeasibility, Bankable Feasibility to NI
- 03
Laboratory and pilot tests in the pilot plant facility
- 04
Process development and basic engineering
- 05
Process-relevant detail engineering
- 06
Delivery of key/main equipment
- 07
Commissioning, performance tests and training
- 08
Chemical-physical analytics and operation optimisation
Raw Materials & Processes
Lithium salts / Lithium carbonate
Extraction and processing, including Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) from brines and thermal water.
Potassium / Potassium sulfate
Core product of potash mining, including potassium sulfate recovery from wastewater (cooperation with K+S).
Potassium nitrate
Process development for the 330 million US-$ production plant in Laos.
Magnesium compounds (MgCl2, Mg products)
Additional magnesium products from the MgCl2 component of Southern Harz carnallite.
Boron compounds
Processing as part of the treatment of mixed mineral salts.
Cobalt salts
Salts of so-called energy metals from the processing of technical salts and minerals.
Copper salts
Salts of so-called energy metals from the processing of technical salts and minerals.
Lithium alumino-silicate residues (LAR)
Research project on their use as a binder in cement and geopolymers to save CO2.
Locations
Sondershausen
DECompany headquarters with pilot plant facility, testing laboratory and pilot plants
- Lot size
- Pilot tests on a tonne scale
- Materials
- Inorganic salts, oxides, hydroxides, minerals
- Pilot plant facility >1,500 m² with flexibly combinable process technology
- Patented loop reactors in various sizes
- Accredited testing laboratory (CPA)
- Seismic monitoring systems
Plants & Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical-Physical Process Engineering – process development, basic/detail engineering,Engineering | – | – | – | – | inorganic salts, oxides, hydroxides |
| Feasibility studies (Scoping, Prefeasibility, Bankable Feasibility to NI 43/101, CRIRSCO, JORC)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pilot tests in the pilot plant facility (>1500 m²) – complete processing processes on a tonne scaleEngineering | – | – | – | – | inorganic salts, minerals |
| Crushing and classification processes of raw materialsOther | – | – | – | – | raw materials, minerals |
| Mechanical separation processesOther | – | – | – | – | salts, minerals |
| Solar and technically supported evaporation and crystallisation processesOther | – | – | – | – | salts, potassium sulfate, magnesium |
| Chemical-Physical Analytics (accredited testing laboratory to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018), saltTesting | – | – | – | – | salts, environmental samples, minerals |
| Determination of vibrations (immission control law, Group VI BImSchG,Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Geophysics & Geology – deposit exploration, geological resource assessment, seismicEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mining, geomechanics and backfill – mining and brine extraction, disposal andOther | – | – | – | – | backfill materials, mineral residues, lithium alumino-silicate residues (LAR), cement, geopolymers |
| Delivery of main equipment, commissioning, performance tests and trainingEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Lithium extraction (Direct Lithium Extraction / DLE) from thermal water and brineOther | – | – | – | – | lithium, lithium carbonate |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot plant facility with pilot plants (flexibly combinable process technology) | K-UTEC | – | >1500 m² | – | Sondershausen |
| Patented loop reactors (various sizes) | K-UTEC | – | – | – | – |
| Seismic monitoring/surveillance systems | – | – | – | – | Sondershausen / customer sites |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & Accreditation
The management system has been certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 since 2002. The Chemical-Physical Analytics department is a testing laboratory accredited to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018, including the immission control determination of vibrations (Group VI BImSchG).
| Evidence | Sondershausen |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO/IEC 17025 (testing laboratory) | |
| Body under § 29b BImSchG (vibrations, Group VI) |
History
- 1964
Establishment of the Potash Research Institute (KFI) of the Central German potash industry in Sondershausen; shortly before reunification around 450 employees.
- 1992
Privatisation by Dr. Heiner Marx as Kali-Umwelttechnik GmbH Sondershausen with 35 employees.
- 2002
Initial certification of the management system to DIN EN ISO 9001.
- 2008
Conversion into K-UTEC AG SALT TECHNOLOGIES as part of an employee share ownership initiative.
- 2011
Largest order in the company's history: exploration of the Reservorio de Cañamac salt deposit, Peru (€4.76 million).
- 2014
Development of a 330 million US-$ potassium nitrate production plant in Laos.
- 2017
Cooperation with K+S AG; Dr. Markus Pfänder joins the management board.
- 2018
Order to develop the lithium deposits in the Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) in a consortium with ACI-Systems (€4.5 million).
- 2022
Dr. Sebastian Lüning becomes a member of the management board.
- 2025
Research project on the use of lithium alumino-silicate residues (LAR) in building materials; 75th anniversary (referring to the predecessor institute).