Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 8
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
A feasibility study has been conducted in Turkmenistan on the integrated development of the mineral resources of the Garabogazkol Bay in the Caspian Sea, Trend reports referring to the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper.
The project of the Turkmenhimiya state concern envisages the construction of three new workshops on the basis of the Garabogazsulfate production association for the production of anhydrous sodium sulfate, magnesium sulfate (epsomite) and magnesium chloride (bischofite). The capacity will be more than 350,000 tons of mineral raw materials per year.
The comprehensive studies concluded that the buried brines of the bay can be widely used to produce diverse industrial products.
More than ten types of chemical raw materials have been mined in the bay for more than 80 years. Experts believe that further integrated extraction of mineral resources of Garabogazkol will contribute to the diversification of the chemical industry and the formation of a new industrial direction – namely, hydrometallurgy.
This will help reduce the import of a wide range of production components, as well as finished products, increase the export potential of the country, the article says.
Garabogazkol Bay is the largest deposit of sodium sulfate and other useful minerals in the world. This is the only field in the world where a variety of salts crystallize on an industrial scale under normal natural conditions. Its area is 18,600 square kilometers, and the length of the coastline is about 800 kilometers.