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Sinochem News: The 2024 China Potash Salt and Potash Fertilizer Industry Technology Exchange Conference was held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia from August 18th to 20th. More than 200 experts, scholars and business representatives from the national potassium salt and potassium fertilizer industry gathered together to discuss the development prospects of the potassium fertilizer industry, new technologies, new achievements and new applications, explore new quality productivity of the industry, and talk about the future development of the industry.

Wang Xiaofeng, the president of the China Inorganic Salt Industry Association, pointed out that developing new quality productive forces is an inherent requirement and an important focus for promoting high-quality development. It is a major strategic measure for advancing Chinese-style modernization and will have a profound impact on China's economic and social development. At present, China's petrochemical industry is undergoing transformation and upgrading, with the development of low-carbonization and intelligence further accelerating. The potassium salt and potassium fertilizer industry is confronted with new situations such as continuous resource shortages, changes in sales channels, the integration and transformation of informatization and industrialization, and the constantly changing international trade environment for potassium fertilizers. In the face of the new situations and challenges in the industry, the entire industry should accurately learn and grasp them, and make full use of its existing advantages Enhance technological innovation capabilities, optimize the industrial structure, and jointly promote high-quality development of the industry.

Wang Xiaofeng introduced that in recent years, the salt lake industry has driven the comprehensive development of salt lake resources through technological innovation, gradually establishing a circular industrial model that has evolved from the development of a single potassium fertilizer to the coupled development of multiple industries such as salt lake chemicals, energy chemicals, non-ferrous metals, new energy, and new materials. At present, the development and utilization of salt lake resources have reached a critical period of new growth driver transformation and new quality productivity cultivation. Technological innovation-driven, green and sustainable development, and industrial integration and development will all provide support for the high-quality development of the salt lake industry. We should adhere to promoting the orderly development of salt lake resources and the green development of industries as the main line, optimize and improve the production process of potassium fertilizer, enhance the domestic equipment level of the potassium fertilizer industry, improve the automation equipment level of potassium fertilizer production, focus on strengthening the multi-channel strategic reserve of potassium fertilizer, and intensify efforts in multiple aspects such as resource integration, product integration, environmental protection integration, and intelligent integration. Improve the utilization rate of resources, form a circular and efficient utilization of salt lake resources, enhance the core competitiveness of enterprises, promote the effective integration of green electricity and the salt lake industry, assist in the improvement of potassium fertilizer production capacity, effectively reduce the operating costs of enterprises, achieve the goal of sustainable development, and lay a solid foundation for building a world-class salt lake industrial base.

Wang Xiaofeng stated that the Inorganic Salt Association will continue to do a good job in industry services and related work, fully play the role of the association as a "bridge and link", enhance the voice of enterprises and the industry, explore new quality productivity in the industry, and contribute to the development of the industry. The Potassium Salt and Potassium Fertilizer Branch and the Molten Salt Energy Storage Specialized Committee will also adhere to a stable and steady approach, remain confident, and win the tough battle of the 14th Five-Year Plan.

Yun Hongwei, the Party Secretary and Chairman of Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co., Ltd. and the President of the Potassium Salt and Potassium Fertilizer Industry Branch of the China Inorganic Salt Industry Association, pointed out that potassium salt resources are important mineral resources in China. Compared with major potassium fertilizer producers in the world, China is seriously short of soluble potassium resources. The domestic proven economic reserves of potassium salts for exploitation are only 280 million tons of potassium chloride, and the proven reserves of potassium salt resources account for only about 5% of the world's proven reserves of potassium salts. After years of high-intensity development, the expansion of resource-based potassium fertilizer production is almost unsustainable. At the current level of mining technology and scale, the service life of the existing potassium salt resources in our country is only about 20 to 30 years. After more than 60 years of development, the pattern of potassium resource development in China has reached a critical period oriented towards fostering and developing new quality productive forces and using the transformation of old and new growth drivers as a means. The potassium salt and potassium fertilizer industry must always bear in mind its mission and responsibility. On the one hand, it should enhance scientific and technological innovation, improve technological levels, and do a good job in the development of domestic salt lakes and the stable production of potassium fertilizers. On the other hand, we should embrace foreign resources with an open attitude and an international perspective, do a good job in international production capacity cooperation, and increase the supply and reserve of foreign potash fertilizer bases.

Yun Hongwei emphasized that the future development of the industry will face challenges such as the sustainable development and efficient utilization of domestic limited resources, the response to the complex international situation of imported potash fertilizer, the speed of promoting overseas potash fertilizer development, and the price fluctuations under the market supply and demand game. The entire industry must achieve high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology. Second, we need to improve the green, clean, low-carbon and circular system. Third, we need to coordinate the pace of imports to stabilize the domestic market. Fourth, we should accelerate the pace of "going global" of potassium salts and potassium fertilizers. Fifth, high-quality standards for the potash fertilizer industry should be formulated.

Zhang Douqun, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and general manager of Guotou Xinjiang Lop Nur Potassium Salt Co., LTD., said at the meeting that potassium salt and potassium fertilizer, as indispensable important production materials in modern agriculture, play a crucial role in ensuring food security and promoting sustainable agricultural development. How to enhance the production technology of potassium salt and potassium fertilizer, optimize the product structure and improve the efficiency of resource utilization has become a common issue and challenge faced by the industry.

Zhang Douqun pointed out that currently, the global potash salt and potash fertilizer market is in a critical period of rapid transformation and development, facing new challenges and opportunities. In April this year, The State Council issued the "Action Plan for the New Round of Increasing Grain Production Capacity by 100 Billion Jin (2024-2030)", proposing to achieve an additional grain production capacity of over 100 billion jin by 2030. Under the current situation of limited arable land in our country, the core of increasing grain production and improving grain quality lies in chemical fertilizers. Among the three major chemical fertilizers of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, potassium fertilizer is the only one that cannot be fully self-sufficient, which is of great strategic significance for ensuring food security in our country.

Zhang Douqun believes that with economic development and the continuous upgrading of consumption patterns, people's dietary structure will be constantly optimized and improved. The demand for meat products and fresh fruits and vegetables is increasing day by day. This will directly drive the growth of animal feed demand, the expansion of fruit and vegetable planting areas, and the improvement of the taste and quality of fruits and vegetables. The reliance of agricultural production on potassium fertilizer will also deepen further. Boost the demand for potash fertilizer.

Liu Guizhong, the chairman of Inner Mongolia Tianyu Huijing Industrial Group, pointed out that potassium salt and potassium fertilizer are important strategic materials in China. Over the past 30 years, China's potassium salt and potassium fertilizer industry has made remarkable progress, which is a personal experience of our generation of potassium salt and potassium fertilizer workers and is obvious to all. This is attributed to the high attention and support from the state, as well as the joint efforts of local government functional departments, industry associations, leading enterprises in the industry, and generations of potassium salt and potassium fertilizer professionals.

However, during the rapid development of the industry, the potassium salt and potassium fertilizer industry is also confronted with various new problems and challenges, such as the continuous shortage of domestic resources, the volatile international situation, the elimination of backward technology and production capacity, and the upgrading of market demand, etc. It is hoped that the elites in the potassium fertilizer and potassium salt industry will pool their wisdom and efforts to plan for the future together. Let's jointly contribute to the development of China's potassium salt and potassium fertilizer industry. While ensuring and meeting the sufficient supply of potassium salt and potassium fertilizer in our country, we should actively promote the high-quality development of the potassium salt and potassium fertilizer industry.

China's dependence on imported potash fertilizer is 50%, which to some extent poses a threat to China's food security. Zheng Shili, deputy director (in charge of work) of the Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that in the future, the institute will make efforts in five major aspects. First, in response to the major demand for increasing potassium reserves and ensuring supply, the strategy of "exploration and reserve increase + quality improvement and efficiency enhancement + supply guarantee strengthening" will be implemented, extending the supply guarantee period of recoverable potassium resources by 30 years. The second is the green separation of lithium resources in salt lakes, which involves the implementation of new modules such as electrically controlled ion adsorption, low-energy consumption membrane separation, and dual-copper extraction systems, increasing the lithium yield from 40% to 80% and establishing a "one lake, one policy" solution. The third is the collaborative development of sparse and scattered elements; The fourth is high value-added product engineering; The fifth aspect is the ecological security and resource and environmental carrying capacity of salt lakes. We will implement the "Smart Salt Lake +SSS" strategy to build digital and intelligent salt lakes, zero-carbon salt lakes and green salt lakes.