TIDMHMI
RNS Number : 1362X
Harvest Minerals Limited
22 November 2017
Harvest Minerals Limited / Index: LSE / Epic: HMI / Sector:
Mining
22 November 2017
Harvest Minerals Limited
("Harvest" or the "Company")
Leach Test Results See KPfértil Dramatically Outperform
Traditional Products for Potassium Retention
Harvest Minerals Limited, the AIM listed fertiliser development
company, is pleased to provide positive leach test results for
KPfértil, its direct application natural fertiliser and
remineraliser product produced at the Company's Arapua Fertiliser
Project in Brazil. The test results demonstrate the superior
behaviour of KPfértil over other traditional sources of potassium.
To view the photos in this announcement, please use the following
link:
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/1362X_-2017-11-21.pdf
Overview
-- Leach testwork completed comparing KPfértil with other
conventional sources of potassium to determine how much potassium
was lost from the soil due to leaching before it could be utilised
by the plants
-- Results indicate that only 0.07% of the contained potassium
('K') provided by KPfértil was lost from the soil due to leaching
compared to 20.8% of the contained K lost due to leaching from
conventional sources including potassium chloride ('KCl'), 19.2%
from potassium sulphate ('K(2) SO(4) ')and 21% from potassium
Nitrate ('KNO(3) ')
-- Tests are part of the ongoing agronomic testwork programme
being conducted in conjunction with the Federal University of
Uberlândia ('UFU')
-- Results will be used in certification process of KPfértil as
a remineraliser by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock
and Supply ('MAPA')
-- Ongoing pre-certification sales drive progressing well, with
Company anticipated to scale up once certification is received
Harvest's Executive Chairman, Brian McMaster, said, "These leach
test results are fantastic, supporting previous agronomic testwork,
which has also exceeded our expectations, and demonstrates that
KPfértil works as both a fertiliser and a remineraliser.
Importantly, the results indicate that unlike traditional sources
of potassium, KPfértil can be applied in a single dose as the
potassium will not be leached away before it can be used by the
plants. Secondly, as the nutrients are not lost, there is likely to
be a strong residual effect, supporting our view that KPfértil is
an excellent slow-release fertiliser. As well as providing
additional support for our remineralisation application with MAPA,
these results assist in our marketing of KPfértil to potential
customers, which continues to gain traction."
Leaching Testwork
Leach testwork was conducted by UFU, an institution approved
MAPA, comparing KPfértil with other conventional sources of
potassium, namely potassium chloride, potassium sulphate and
potassium nitrate. The tests were undertaken to determine how much
potassium was lost from the soil due to leaching before it could be
utilised by the plants. All products were applied at surface to a
sandy soil (10% loam) in a dosage equivalent to 3,000 kg/ha K(2) O
and irrigated by applying 1,789 mm of water over an 18-day
period.
Figure 1: Lysimeters being irrigated during leaching testwork at
the UFU [please use link to PDF]
Soil samples from vertical lysimeters were collected and split
into ten samples to determine how far the potassium had leached.
Each sample, along with the leached solution, which had drained
through the lysimeter, was submitted for chemical analysis for
potassium.
The results shown in Table 1 below, indicate that only 0.07% of
the potassium in the soil was leached when KPfértil was the source.
In contrast, 20.8% of the potassium in the soil was lost from
potassium chloride, 19.2% from potassium sulphate and 21% from
potassium nitrate for the soil compositions tested. In addition,
most of the potassium from KPfértil remained in the first soil
layer. KPfértil's superior behaviour over other sources in the
leaching test is due to its low solubility in water resulting in
far less potassium being leached away.
Source of Potassium (K)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KCl K(2) KNO(3) KPfértil KPfértil Control
(granular) SO(4) (powder) (powder) (filler) (without
(granular) K)
------------ ------------ ---------- -------------- -------------- ----------
---------------- K leached - %
of total applied ---------------------
20.8% 19.2% 21.0% 0.07% 0.07% 0.0%
------------ ------------ ---------- -------------- -------------- ----------
Table 1: Percentage of potassium in the soil solution leached
for granular KCl, powder K(2) SO(4) , powder KNO(3) and powder and
filler KPfértil
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.
For further information please visit www.harvestminerals.net or
contact:
Harvest Minerals Brian McMaster Tel: +61 8 9200
Limited (Chairman) 1847
Strand Hanson Limited James Spinney Tel: +44 (0)20
(Nominated & Financial Ritchie Balmer 7409 3494
Adviser)
Mirabaud Securities Rory Scott Tel: +44 (0)20
LLP 7878 3360
(Joint Broker)
Beaufort Securities Jon Belliss Tel: +44 (0)20
Ltd 7382 8300
(Joint Broker)
St Brides Partners Isabel de Salis Tel: +44 (0)20
Ltd 7236 1177
Olivia Vita
Notes:
Harvest Minerals (HMI.L) is a Brazilian focused fertiliser
Company targeting low cost, near term development projects. The
Company's current focus is the development of its 100% owned Arapua
Fertiliser Project from which it produces its KPfértil product, a
proven, multi-nutrient, slow release, organic fertiliser and
remineraliser, which is produced from a weathered potassium and
phosphate rich lava and offers many economic and agronomic
benefits. Covering 14,946 hectares and located in the heart of the
Brazilian agriculture belt in Minas Gerais, Arapua is a shallow,
low cost mine with an indicated and inferred resource of 13.07Mt at
3.1% K(2) O and 2.49% P(2) O(5) . This resource translates into a
mine life of over 100 years at a rate of 450k tonnes per annum and
crucially is based on drilling just 6.7% of the known
mineralisation, leaving significant upside potential. With a trial
mining licence in place, allowing Harvest to extract 50kt of
product on a rolling basis whilst the full mining licence
application process is underway, and official registration of
KPfértil as a remineraliser expected around the end of 2017,
Harvest is ideally placed to address the significant demand for
locally produced fertiliser in Brazil; Brazil has abundant
agricultural land but lacks domestic fertiliser, with the country
currently importing 90% of the potash it uses. Furthermore, the
Brazilian Government has set a target to be self-sufficient in
fertilisers by 2020, creating significant market opportunity for
Harvest and its KPfértil product. Additionally, the Company has
four assets at various stages of development and continues to
explore other opportunities that fit its investment criteria.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
UPDPGGWPGUPMGCG
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 22, 2017 02:00 ET (07:00 GMT)
Harvest Minerals (LSE:HMI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Harvest Minerals (LSE:HMI)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024