Zone 21/22 dust rating at the processing plant
Lithium carbonate and potassium salt drying and packaging generate combustible dust, and the IS-04Z1's Zone 21 / Zone 22 target addresses this stage of SQM's operation.
Chile · SQM
Explosion proof mobile phone for SQM lithium operations
An explosion proof mobile phone for SQM has to suit lithium that comes from solar-evaporation brine ponds on the Atacama salt flat, not from a conventional mine, at an elevation above 2,300 metres in one of the driest places on Earth. Chile's lithium demand puts increasing operational weight on a process most Ex-device testing was not originally built around. The IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof enclosure.
Launching Q4 2026 · IECEx dust-rating programme in progress
Local approvalSEC · IECExIECEx · SEC in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Why it fits
Designed for brine evaporation, not hard-rock mining
SQM's lithium and potassium process moves brine through evaporation ponds before any crushing or drying happens, an operational sequence with its own environmental demands distinct from a copper mine's dust profile.
Hypersaline, high-altitude desert exposure ahead of the dust hazard
The Atacama salt flat combines extreme aridity, intense UV and airborne saline particulate from the evaporation ponds at elevations above 2,300 metres, a combination that stresses equipment differently from a standard industrial dust environment.
Rapid capacity growth under global lithium demand
SQM has expanded production significantly to meet global battery-material demand, meaning workforce and equipment fleet growth at a pace that puts a premium on standardised, easily deployed devices rather than site-by-site procurement.
A process shared with, but distinct from, Jordan's Dead Sea potash operation
The solar-evaporation brine process resembles potash extraction elsewhere in the world, but SQM's high-altitude Atacama setting brings a different combination of altitude, dryness and UV exposure than a sea-level brine operation.
Fleet management across pond and plant operations
EMM and MDM enrolment supports SQM managing a consistent device profile from the evaporation ponds through to the drying and packaging plant.
About the operator
SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera)
A major global lithium and potassium producer, extracting from brine on the Atacama salt flats.
- Core process
- Solar evaporation of Atacama salt-flat brine, followed by drying and packaging of lithium carbonate and potassium salts.
- Location
- Atacama salt flat, above 2,300 metres elevation.
- Primary hazard
- Combustible lithium and potassium salt dust at the processing plant, alongside extreme aridity, UV and high-altitude exposure across the site.
- Evaluation basis
- Site engineering review, built on the IECEx Certificate of Conformity's dust-rating scope once issued.
Sites and hazards
Where an explosion proof mobile phone is carried at SQM
SQM works in the north in several distinct places. Brine goes from the Salar de Atacama to plants at the salt flat and to the Salar del Carmen near Antofagasta, where lithium carbonate and hydroxide are made. Nitrate and iodine come from Nueva Victoria and Coya Sur. A single handset policy needs to reflect that spread.
Sites
- Salar de Atacama
- Brine fields, potassium chloride and potassium sulphate plants.
- Salar del Carmen
- Lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide plant near Antofagasta.
- Nueva Victoria
- Iodine and sodium nitrate in the Tarapacá region.
- Coya Sur
- Potassium nitrate and solar salts.
- Pond fields
- Shallow evaporation ponds spread across the salt flat.
- Antofagasta and Tocopilla
- Logistics, port and storage.
Classified situations
- Dryers and granulators
- Salt and potassium dust, with fuel-gas supply as a Zone 2 area.
- Packaging and bagging halls
- Dusty handling, with dust zones depending on product.
- Nitrate and solar salt handling
- Oxidiser storage that raises fire load, alongside any dust zone.
- Reagent storage
- Chemicals used in lithium conversion, assessed plant by plant.
- Fuel bays
- Diesel for the vehicle fleet crossing the salt flat.
- Brine ponds
- Largely unclassified, so handset rules are about the weather and vehicles.
How the work is organised
Long drives, camps and a fast-growing workforce
Pond fields cover a large area, and the plants are separated from them and from the coast. Operators drive between them, and many contractors join for expansion work.
Brine01
Pond and pump inspection
A pond crew drives out to check pumps, levels and sampling points. A coordinate and a photograph reported from the pond edge avoid long radio descriptions, and a camera that can be disabled centrally handles sites that restrict photography.
Plant02
Drying and packaging rounds
Plant operators check dryers, conveyors and bagging lines in dust that settles into every seam. IP68 sealing is designed for this, while enrolment keeps the handset locked to the operator's applications.
Expansion03
Contractor-led build campaigns
Capacity expansions bring construction contractors who must be inducted into site rules rapidly. Ask SQM's procurement and HSE teams how supplier equipment is approved. See also the explosion proof mobile phone for Chilean mining overview.
Questions · SQM
Frequently asked questions
Is the IS-04Z1 certified for use at SQM yet?
No. The device is pre-launch, and the IECEx dust-rating scope is still in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
Is this a gas-hazard or dust-hazard certification?
Dust. SQM's process does not involve a significant flammable-gas hazard; combustible salt dust at the drying and packaging plant is the relevant classification.
Does the high-altitude, high-UV environment require special testing?
Environmental durability testing is specified with that combination in mind, though material compatibility for SQM's specific brine and dust conditions should be confirmed with SQM's own engineering team.
Does SQM operate the same way as Albemarle's lithium operations?
Both extract lithium from Atacama brine using a broadly similar evaporation process, but they are separate companies with separate sites and separate procurement processes.
Which SQM sites would need a Zone 21 handset?
The areas that handle dry, combustible dust, such as dryers and packaging, are the likely candidates. The classification study for each plant decides, and we do not claim SQM's classification.
Is there any gas hazard at SQM?
Not the main one, but dryers fire on fuel and sites keep diesel, so Zone 2 gas areas can exist at fuel supply points. Check the classification for each plant, and note that nitrate salts are oxidisers, which affects fire load.
Does SQM already work with SAMS?
No. There is no relationship, pilot or order. This page describes what SQM's teams would ask a supplier for, and the device is pre-launch with certification in progress.
Enquiry · SQM
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for SQM, Chile
Tell us the site, the zone and gas group, and roughly how many handsets. The SAMS team replies by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule for Chile. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and certification is in progress, so there is no list price yet; indicative pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
Enquiry · SQM
Launching Q4 2026
Evaluating the IS-04Z1 for this site?
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule for your market.