The Zhongnong International Laos 2 million ton/year potash expansion project, located in Thakhek, Khammouane Province, is a major potash resource development initiative in Southeast Asia. Leveraging Laos' abundant potash mineral resources, the project employs advanced mining and processing technologies to produce high-quality potash fertilizer for markets in China and Southeast Asia. As production capacity expanded to 2 million tons per year, the original short-distance truck haulage could no longer meet operational demands. An efficient, environmentally compliant, and stable long-distance conveying system was urgently required.

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Project Background & Challenges

The Zhongnong International Laos potash project is located in Thakhek, Khammouane Province. The mine is approximately 3 km from the processing plant, with the route crossing farmland, roads, and gentle hilly terrain. The original truck-based transport method presented several critical issues:

• High Transport Costs: Truck haulage costs per ton of potash were significant. With annual capacity reaching 2 million tons, transport expenditure would become a massive financial burden.
• Efficiency Bottleneck: Truck transport was affected by weather, road conditions, and vehicle scheduling — making continuous, stable delivery impossible and becoming the bottleneck in production capacity release.
• Dust Pollution: Potash generated substantial dust during loading, transport, and unloading — impacting the environment and personnel health along the route, inconsistent with the project's green development philosophy.
• Material Characteristics: Potash is corrosive and hygroscopic, demanding high levels of corrosion resistance and sealing from conveying equipment. Standard belt conveyors could not meet long-term reliable operation requirements. This required specialized corrosion-resistant components throughout the entire system.

To address these challenges, Zhongnong International decided to construct a long-distance conveying system from the mine to the processing plant. After multiple rounds of technical comparison, ZOOMRY's extendable belt conveyor was selected as the core conveying equipment.

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ZOOMRY Solution

In response to the Laos potash project's operating conditions and material characteristics, ZOOMRY's technical team carried out a customized design, delivering a 3 km extendable belt conveyor system. The solution incorporates high-strength Conveyor Belts and heavy-duty idlers designed specifically for the abrasive and corrosive nature of potash ore.

Core Equipment Parameters

• Equipment Type: Extendable Belt Conveyor
• Conveying Distance: 3 km
• Belt Width: 1000 mm
• Material Handled: Potash (corrosive, hygroscopic)
• Belt Speed: 2.0 m/s
• Conveying Capacity: 400 t/h
• Inclination: 0~8° (adapting to terrain variations)
• Control Method: PLC centralized control with remote monitoring

Technical Highlights

Long-Distance Continuous Conveying

A total length of 3 km of extendable belt conveyor replaced the original truck haulage method, achieving continuous, stable transport from the mine to the processing plant. The conveyor system employs multiple drive units with rational power distribution, effectively reducing belt tension and extending overall equipment service life. The extendable tail design allows the conveying length to be adjusted according to mining face advancement, providing strong adaptability.

Anti-Corrosion & Sealed Design

Targeting potash's corrosive and hygroscopic nature, ZOOMRY implemented the following special measures:

• Anti-Corrosion Coating System: All structural components use a three-layer anti-corrosion coating system — epoxy zinc-rich primer + epoxy micaceous iron oxide intermediate coat + polyurethane topcoat, with total dry film thickness ≥260 μm, effectively resisting potash corrosion. This system is paired with corrosion-resistant HDPE rollers throughout the conveyor line for complete chemical immunity.
• Sealed Protection: The conveyor belt adopts a fully enclosed protective cover, with rubber sealing strips at joints, preventing rainwater and humid air ingress to avoid potash moisture absorption and caking. Conveyor Rain Covers provide additional weather protection for outdoor sections of the system.
• Stainless Steel Components: Components in direct contact with potash — including guide chutes, discharge spouts, and Belt Cleaners — are made of 304 stainless steel, ensuring long-term corrosion-resistant operation.

Intelligent Control

• PLC Centralized Control: The entire line uses PLC centralized control with one-key start/stop, interlocking, and fault self-diagnosis functions. The system is powered by integrated conveyor drive systems for reliable, energy-efficient operation.
• Remote Monitoring: Equipped with a remote operation and maintenance platform, supporting real-time equipment status viewing via computer and mobile devices — including belt speed, current, bearing temperature, and belt misalignment parameters.
• Automatic Belt Alignment: Automatic belt alignment devices are deployed along the conveyor, effectively preventing belt mistracking and reducing the need for manual intervention.

Environmental Design

• Fully Enclosed Conveying: The entire machine uses an enclosed protective cover, with dust collectors at transfer points, effectively controlling dust emissions.
• Low-Noise Design: Drive units use low-noise motors and reducers, with idlers featuring low-noise design — overall operating noise ≤80 dB(A).

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Project Implementation

Design Phase

ZOOMRY's technical team conducted an in-depth field survey of the Laos project site, comprehensively assessing topography, geological conditions, climate environment, and material characteristics. 3D modeling technology was used to optimize the conveyor route alignment, avoiding unfavorable geological zones and reducing civil engineering quantities. A dedicated design review was conducted for equipment material selection and coating systems in light of potash's corrosive properties.

Manufacturing

Equipment was manufactured at ZOOMRY's Hebei Zaoqiang production base, strictly following the ISO 9001 quality management system. Critical welds received 100% non-destructive testing, stainless steel components underwent intergranular corrosion testing, the coating system was verified through salt spray testing (≥720 hours), and drive units completed 48-hour full-load testing — ensuring reliable factory product quality. Core components including Conveyor idlers and Conveyor Pulleys were produced to stringent specifications for the demanding potash environment.

Cross-Border Logistics

Equipment was transported via a combination of land and sea freight (Tianjin Port → Vietnam's Vung Ang Port → Thakhek, Laos), with the entire journey taking approximately 20 days. ZOOMRY assisted the customer in completing Laos import customs clearance procedures, ensuring timely equipment arrival at the project site.

Installation & Commissioning

• Installation Period: ZOOMRY dispatched 4 senior engineers to the site, completing the installation and commissioning of the 3 km conveyor system in 45 days.
• Commissioning Process: Conducted in three phases — no-load commissioning (checking belt tracking, idler rotation, drive unit operation), load commissioning (gradually increasing to design capacity, continuous operation for 72 hours), and integrated commissioning (coordinated with mine feeding equipment and plant receiving equipment).
• Commissioning Results: All indicators met design standards — conveying capacity 400 t/h, dust emission concentration below local standards.

Acceptance & Training

• Acceptance Standard: Referencing GB/T 10595-2017 and project-specific requirements — core indicators including capacity, environmental compliance, and energy consumption passed customer acceptance in a single inspection.
• Operator Training: ZOOMRY provided 10 days of specialized training for the owner's operation and maintenance personnel, covering equipment operation, routine maintenance, and fault diagnosis — ensuring independent competency.

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Project Results

Efficiency Improvement

• The extendable belt conveyor achieved continuous, stable transport from the mine to the processing plant, resolving the intermittent nature of truck haulage and providing reliable logistics support for the 2 million ton/year capacity release.
• The high degree of automation in the conveyor system significantly reduced manual operation positions, lowering labor intensity and manpower costs.

Cost Optimization

• Compared to truck transport, the unit conveying cost of the belt conveyor decreased significantly — annual transport expenditure dropped substantially with a reasonable investment payback period.
• The equipment adopted a modular design, making maintenance convenient with long replacement cycles for wear parts and controllable annual maintenance costs. Key wear components including conveyor belts and belt cleaners are designed for extended service intervals in potash service.

Environmental Compliance

• The dual measure of fully enclosed conveying plus dust collectors effectively controlled dust emissions during potash transport, meeting Laos' local environmental requirements and ensuring the project's green and sustainable operation.

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Conclusion

The Zhongnong International Laos 2M TPY potash expansion project's extendable belt conveyor represents ZOOMRY's successful practice in the field of long-distance potash conveying. Through long-distance continuous conveying technology, anti-corrosion and sealed design, intelligent control, and environmental protection measures, the project helped the customer achieve the multiple objectives of reduced transport costs, improved efficiency, and environmental compliance. The successful delivery of this project validates ZOOMRY's technical strength in conveying corrosive materials over long distances, providing a reference engineering model for similar projects. ZOOMRY will continue to deepen its expertise in special material conveying fields — including potash, phosphate, and salt — delivering higher-quality bulk material handling solutions to customers worldwide.