Study Shows Minimal Leaching for ThermoPotash compared to a Loss of 26% of KCl
Thursday, 16 December 2010 16:47
Amazon Mining Holding Plc (TSX-V symbol: “AMZ”) ("Amazon” or the “Company”) is pleased to report the results of the potassium leaching test, which established that ThermoPotash suffers minimal nutrient loss as a result of leaching, whereas KCl loses 26% under the same conditions.

Nutrient leaching is a significant factor that decreases the efficiency of fertilizers for farmers. Potassium is a nutrient that is found in soil solution in ionic form, possessing high mobility and susceptibility to leaching, particularly in areas with high rainfall and sandy soils with low cat ion exchange capacity (CEC). This is particularly important in the Cerrado region of Brazil. The highly weathered ancient tropical soils of Cerrado are very well drained, not retaining water or nutrients, unlike the younger soils in the world’s traditional farmlands located in temperate climates. To compound the problem, Brazil’s Cerrado region receives substantially more rain than other growing areas.

The experiment was carried-out at the University of Uberlandia under the direction of Prof. Gaspar Korndörfer in a greenhouse for 18 days, using soil columns (lysimeters) with two different soil compositions (sandy texture at 15% clay and a clayey soil at 45% clay) and two sources of potassium (potassium chloride (KCl) granules and ThermoPotash granules and powder) at a dose equivalent to 300 kg/ha under irrigation of 300 mm of water.

The results presented in Table 1 show that the amount of potassium leached from the ThermoPotash was very low compared to that of potassium chloride (KCl) for both of the soil compositions tested. In each sample, 26% of the potassium chloride was leached, while only 0.3% of the ThermoPotash was leached. The superior behavior of ThermoPotash over KCl in the leaching test can be explained by its low solubility in water, which still effectively delivers nutrients to plants (see press release August 11, 2010).

Table 1: Amount of potassium in the soil solution (leached) collected in two soil types (sandy and clay) for granular KCl and powdered and granulated ThermoPotash applied to the surface at a dose equivalent to 300 kg/ha K2O, after an irrigation of 300 mm, measured during a period of 18 days.

Soil

type


Source of K – Doses of 300 kg/ha




KCl

(granular)


ThermoPotash (powdered)


ThermoPotash (granular)


Control

(without K)







--------------------- K leached, grams per column -------------------

Sandy
(15% loamy)


2.31 (26.2%)


0.28 (0.3%)


0.26 (0.0%)


0.26




Clay
(40% loamy)


2.09 (26.0%)


0.08 (0.3%)


0.07 (0.1%)


0.06






Note: Figures in parentheses represent the percentage of K from the fertilizer applied that was lost through leaching and calculated using the following equation: % K lost by leaching = [(K leached from the source (g) - K leached from the control (g)) / total K applied in fertilizer (g)] x 100.

About Amazon

Amazon Mining is a mineral exploration and development company founded by Brazilians in 2005. The company is focused on the development of the Cerrado Verde project. Cerrado Verde is a source of a potash rich rock from which Amazon plans to produce a slow-release, non-chloride, multi-nutrient, fertilizer product. Amazon Mining is a UK public company with shares listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange since November 2007.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Amazon Mining Holding Plc, Jed Richardson, Vice President of Corporate Development

For additional information please contact:



Cristiano Veloso, President & Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +44 (0) 20 8133 7607; Fax: +44(0)20 7405 7773; Email: cv@amazonplc.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

OR

Jed Richardson, VP Corporate Development

Tel: +1(416)866-2966; Fax: +1(416)866-8829; Email: jed@amazonplc.com