Company: SQM
Filing Date: 2025-04-24
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0000909037-25-000020
Chunk: 67

Company: CHEMICAL & MINING CO OF CHILE INC
Filing Date: 2025-04-24
Form: 20-F
Item: Item 4
Chunk 67
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 is extracted through both solvent-extraction and blow out processes. The remaining solutions, which are rich in nitrates and potassium, are subsequently sent to solar evaporation ponds where the solutions are evaporated and after iodide is obtained, nitrate and potassium salts are produced. These concentrated salts are then sent to Coya Sur where they are used to produce potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate.
Caliche Ore-Derived Products
Caliche ore-derived products are sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium potassium nitrate and iodine.
Sodium Nitrate
During 2024, sodium nitrate for both agricultural and industrial applications was produced from nitrate salts from our mining operations at Sur Viejo and fed to our new crystallization plant located in Coya Sur. Crystallized sodium nitrate is processed at the Coya Sur production plants to produce sodium nitrate and sodium potassium nitrate in different chemical and physical forms, including crystallized and prilled products. Finally, the products are transported by truck to our port facilities in Tocopilla for shipping to customers and distributors worldwide.
Potassium Nitrate
Potassium nitrate is produced at our Coya Sur facility using a production process developed in-house. Potassium salts produced at Nueva Victoria or Coya Sur and potassium salts from the Salar de Atacama are added to our conversion plants. A chemical reaction begins, transforming sodium nitrate into potassium nitrate and creating formed sodium chloride as a by-product. Depending on the specifications of the required product, it is subjected to an adiabatic or atmospheric cooling process to obtain the required quality.
Our current potassium nitrate production capacity at Coya Sur is approximately 900,000 metric tons per year. 
The potassium nitrate produced at Coya Sur is transported to Tocopilla for shipping and delivery to customers and distributors. All potassium nitrate produced in crystallized or prilled form at Coya Sur has been certified by TÜV-Rheinland under the quality standard ISO 9001:2015. Additionally, the Coya Sur and Nueva Victoria leaching sites achieved certification by TÜV-Rheinland in 2023 under the ISO 50001:2015 quality standard (certification of energy management systems), and in Coya Sur, we are advancing in the phase two of the external audit to certify our potassium nitrate, sodium nitrates and soluble fertilizers production.
Iodine and Iodine Derivatives
During 2024, we produced iod