History of mining and exploitation of the oxyhumolite deposit

Oxyhumolite, popularly known as cappuccino, has been used in the past to increase soil fertility due to its high organic content and excellent sorption properties. Since 1915, oxyhumolite from the deposit was used as a raw material for the production of paints and furniture mordant in the Association for Chemical and Metallurgical Production in Ústí nad Labem, in 1963 the production was transferred to the Velvěty Chemical Plant near Teplice. In 1970, the Velvěty chemical plant ceased production of mordants, the technology and production equipment was transferred to the Bílina mines and modernised with an increase in production capacity to over 2000 t/year. Currently, the oxyhumolite deposit is operated by Humatex, a.s.

Oxyhumolite

The starting material for the production of sodium and potassium salts of humic and fulvic acids is oxyhumolite. It is a type of coarse-grained incoherent coal of dark brown to brownish grey colour with a low degree of charring and a high humic acid content as a component of humus. It is formed by the biochemical transformation of organic residues from dead plant matter. It is usually located under low permeable overburden on lignite seam outcrops. It has similar chemical and physical properties to conventional lignite, and its transport and storage are subject to the same regime. The calorific value of oxyhumolite is up to 10 MJ/kg and it is not suitable for combustion. The oxyhumolite deposit is characterised by the highest humic acid content in the Czech Republic (about 80% in dry matter) with very low bitumen content. The rest is made up of inorganic impurities (sand, clay).