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Zvyagelskiy points out the layer of clay separating two layers of leonardite at Sandy Creek Mine.
Mahar, Zvyagelskiy, and Travis Swallers- a production worker, standing in front of the bag holding area which each holds 2,000 pounds of ready to ship leonardite.
Zvyagelskiy points out the layer of clay separating two layers of leonardite at Sandy Creek Mine.
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After meeting at the NDSU dryland crop tour in July, the Williston Herald was offered an opportunity to tour the Leonardite Products mine in Williams County, one of the few places in the United States known for the raw material.
“It’s pretty unique, not a lot of people know about it. Overall it is a very simple production process,” Project Manager for Leonardite Product Miroslav Zvyagelskiy said.
Zvyagelskiy is noted that he was also unfamiliar with leonardite and its uses before starting work with Leonardite Products.
“Leonardite is oxidized lignite formed from the organic material that created peat which was then converted to lignite over a period of time from terrestrial plants including trees,” Zvyagelskiy said. “Exposure to air (weathering/oxidizing)the lignite and convert it to leonardite. In some cases, exposure was brought by glaciers, in which leonardite is not more than thousands or tens of thousands of years old.”
Leonardite mining is surface level mining about 20 feet down and very non-aggressive. Leonardite is trapped between layers of clay so it is mined and then processed at Stony Creek Mine, which is located a little over three miles from the Leonardite Products company site.
Truck loads of leonardite are brought to the plant and dumped in the stockpile. The raw material is then carried up a conveyor belt from the outside pit and crushed through the knittle crusher before entering the processing plant.
“Leonardite enters the processing plant as a raw material and goes through a set of crushers,” Production Manager at Leonardite Products Aaron Mahar said. “As it is being crushed an air heater runs at about 1,000 degrees; pushing hot air into the mill. From there it is drying out and getting down to size and is then sucked up through a cyclone and separated out into a screening device. The good screening material will go through the auger into the bulk bag machine. Any mill oversized will be kicked out and go through the whole process again."
The bags being filled the day of the tour were 2,000 pounds each. Zvyagelskiy explained that the plant workers make sure the bags do not overfill or tip over by filling the bags on a pallet.
Mahar, Zvyagelskiy, and Travis Swallers- a production worker, standing in front of the bag holding area which each holds 2,000 pounds of ready to ship leonardite.
Zvyagelskiy added that farmers and the oil drilling industries are their biggest clients.
“Leonardite is used in the water based drilling fluids to help with fluid loss, clay deflocculants and borehole stability and hot formations- like deeper, hotter formations. Leonardite can also be modified to be used in oil-based drilling fluids,” Zvyagelskiy said.
Zvyagelskiy explained the benefits leonardite has in the agricultural realm. With it being rich in humic and fulvic acids, it can be used as a fertilizer additive to improve a crop's ability to absorb nutrients. This results in faster growing, healthier plants, and higher yields. It is commonly used as a soil amendment. Humates add organic matter to soil improving texture, moisture, holding capacity and pH stability.
“It has been a record year for Leonardite Products and it doesn’t even look close to stopping,” Zvyagelskiy said.
Zvyagelskiy is new to the position of Project Director for Leonardite Products. His job requires him to manage mining permits for land, learn plant operations, and stay updated with government agencies to ensure all procedures are in compliance. He is also responsible for new mine development in the upcoming years, research and development on expanding business and cost analysis.
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