- Dead Sea Works
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Palestine Potash Ltd., 1945
The Dead Sea Works (Hebrew: מפעלי ים המלח, Mif'alei Yam HaMelakh) is an Israeli potash plant in Sdom, on the Dead Sea coast of Israel.
Contents
History
The company was established in 1930 by Moshe Novomeysky. It was known then as the Palestine Potash Company. From 1936, it was a profitable enterprise despite attempts by the German potash cartel to strangle the business by dumping potash at below-cost prices.[1]
In the Israel War of Independence in 1948, the northern half of the production facilities was occupied by the Jordanian Legion, which destroyed the plant and looted the machinery.[2]
In 1951, the company was nationalized by the Israeli government under the Ministry of Development.[3] In 1953, it was renamed the Dead Sea Works.[4]
Today
An aerial view of the evaporation ponds operated by the Dead Sea WorksDead Sea Works is the world's fourth largest producer and supplier of potash products.[5] The company also produces magnesium chloride, industrial salts, de-icers, bath salts, table salt, and raw materials for the cosmetic industry.[6] It has customers in over 60 countries. Dead Sea Works is part of the Fertilizers Division of Israel Chemicals Ltd.[7] It is located in the southern basin of the Dead Sea and the extracted chemicals are exported around the world.[8]
Rather than extracting potash and other minerals from the Dead Sea by mining them directly, the company makes use of the energy of the sun by innovating 2-meter deep evaporation ponds.[9] Nevertheless, Dead Sea Works has been blamed by conservationists for polluting the environment and contributing to the Dead Sea's slow demise.[10][11]
See also
References
- ^ The political economy of Israel: From ideology to stagnation, Yakir Plessner
- ^ The political economy of Israel: From ideology to stagnation, Yakir Plessner
- ^ The Building of the Israeli State Sector, Case Study: The Palestine Potash Ltd.
- ^ Dead Sea Works
- ^ Case Study: Dead Sea Works - Sdom, Israel
- ^ Case Study: Dead Sea Works - Sdom, Israel
- ^ Dead Sea Works
- ^ John Ward Anderson (2005-05-19). "For Dead Sea, a Slow and Seemingly Inexorable Death". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/18/AR2005051802400_pf.html. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
- ^ Geological significance of the Dead Sea
- ^ Estrin, Daniel (13 June 2011). "Dead Sea threatened both by shrinking and flooding". msnbc.com. Associated Press (Ein Bokek, Israel). http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43376649/ns/us_news-environment/t/dead-sea-threatened-both-shrinking-flooding/. Retrieved 9 July 2011. "Environmentalists accuse the company of profiting at the expense of the ecology."
- ^ Daniel Obrist et al., Bromine-induced oxidation of mercury in the mid-latitude atmosphere, Nature Geoscience, 28 november 2010
External links
- Company website
- 19th century boat of British explorer displayed at Dead Sea Works
- "Wealth from the Dead Sea" Popular Mechanics, November 1930, pp 794-798
Coordinates: 31°10′16″N 35°26′28″E / 31.1711091°N 35.4411287°E
Resources: Oil:Heletz · MegedNatural gas:Potash:Dead Sea
Categories:- Chemical companies of Israel
- Dead Sea
- Economy of Israel
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