British mining company Emmerson has secured a UK patent for a new technology developed for its planned potash mine in Khemisset, even as it continues a billion-dollar legal dispute with Morocco. The company said the UK Intellectual Property Office has granted patent number 2634094 for its Khemisset Multi-mineral Process (KMP), a system designed to improve how potash is processed.
The patent, called Processing of Evaporite Minerals, protects the KMP technology and related products. Emmerson says the process was developed mainly for the Khemisset project but could also be used at potash mines elsewhere in the world.
According to the company, the technology cuts water use by 50% and increases the recovery rate of Muriate of Potash, a key ingredient in fertiliser, from 85% to about 91%.
The process also produces two slow-release fertilisers, struvite and vivianite. Emmerson says these products help reduce phosphate runoff into rivers and streams and need to be applied less often by farmers.
The patent was developed with intellectual property consultancy Gill Jennings & Every LLP.
The announcement comes while the Khemisset project remains on hold.
At the end of 2024, Morocco’s Regional Unified Investment Commission rejected the project’s environmental impact study because of concerns over water use. The decision blocked Emmerson from obtaining a mining licence.
Emmerson’s subsidiaries, Khemisset UK Ltd and Potasse de Khemisset SA, later launched arbitration proceedings against Morocco at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
The case, registered under reference ARB/25/22, seeks $1.215bn in compensation, including interest and after local taxes. Emmerson argues that Morocco failed to meet its obligations under the investment treaty between the UK and Morocco.
The amount is lower than the company’s earlier estimate of $2.2bn.
Emmerson submitted its formal case, legal arguments and supporting evidence on 27 March 2026.
The arbitration panel is led by Swiss-Brazilian professor Laurent Lévy. The other members are Stanimir Alexandrov, appointed by Emmerson, and Zachary Douglas, appointed by Morocco.
Emmerson is represented by law firm Boies Schiller Flexner and is backed by $11.2m in litigation funding secured in January 2025. Morocco is represented by lawyer Hicham Naciri and law firm Allen & Overy.
While the patent strengthens Emmerson’s ownership of the technology behind the Khemisset project, it does not change the project’s current situation.
The future of the mine will depend on regulatory approvals, environmental requirements and the outcome of the arbitration case.
