Crystallization technologies

Collaboration opportunity

K-UTEC AG Salt Technologies, a valued client of lyfX.ai, is an engineering firm specialized in mineral and salt processing. They have deep expertise in transforming complex brines and mother liquors into precisely defined, high-purity crystals. Their work leverages a proprietary database on solubility and thermodynamics of multi-component brines, supported by advanced crystallization capabilities.

K-UTEC designs fractional, cold, and seeded crystallization processes to achieve specific particle-size distributions and consistently low impurity levels (below ppm). Their solutions are robust, scaling seamlessly from laboratory trials to industrial-scale operations handling thousands of tonnes. Notable recent projects include a one-million-tonne-per-year cold-crystallization plant for KCl in Jordan, and facilities producing pharmaceutical-grade sulphate-of-potash and battery-grade lithium carbonate.

K-UTEC successfully tackles challenging inorganic and organic materials, delivering optimized crystals that enhance downstream processes.

Own thermodynamic engine – in-house solubility and thermo-chemical data for multi-component brines; parts are strictly proprietary, giving routes competitors cannot copy
Crystal-engineering toolkit – fractional crystallization (evaporation or cooling), cold-crystallization, glaserite and kainite-schoenite conversions, seeded precipitation; all proven in industry
Morphology control – ability to tune nucleation and growth to deliver narrow grain-size distribution, free-flowing shape and minimal occluded impurities
Bench and Pilot Scale Test Center – Test Center with over 2,000 m² equipped with state-of-the-art process technology in various sizes
Scale that reassures – design of a 1 Mt a⁻¹ cold-crystallization KCl plant (Arab Potash, Jordan) and a 100 kt a⁻¹ glaserite-to-SOP line (CINIS Fertilizer, Sweden) shows confidence at both ends of the scale
Proven track record in organic materials – including alanine (amino acid) crystallization, enantiomer separation via advanced crystallization techniques, and other related projects.
End-to-end engagement – exploration data review, process modelling, pilot campaigns, basic and detail engineering, commissioning and revamp optimisation are all in house
OEM-neutral, sustainability-minded – ability to integrate the most energy-efficient crystalliser hardware on the market and recover by-products to cut waste and water footprints.

We will be happy to connect you with the right colleagues at K-UTEC to explore this opportunity!