Russia Deploys Digital Autopilot to Boost Fertilizer Production Efficiency

A potash mining plant in Russia has introduced an AI-powered granulation system to optimize fertilizer manufacturing and reduce manual operations.

A digital autopilot system has been launched at the beneficiation plant of the Usolskiy Potash Complex to manage the granulation process. This innovation is expected to significantly improve the quality of mineral fertilizers, widely used by both commercial agribusinesses and individual farmers in Russia.

The intelligent assistant autonomously regulates temperature, humidity, and feed rate, while also overseeing the operation of drying drums and granulators. With production staying within optimal thresholds, the need for human intervention is nearly eliminated. The system ensures the output of large, durable granules that retain their shape during long-distance transportation—a critical feature for potash-based fertilizers. It also prevents granules from clumping together.

Digitizing the production line has improved both product quality and economic efficiency. The number of manual adjustments has dropped by 85 percent, a change well received by staff. Importantly, the rollout of the digital autopilot did not require a major overhaul of the existing control infrastructure. Similar IT solutions are now being considered for other parts of the beneficiation plant’s operations.