Phosphate rock refers to a mineral assemblage that occurs naturally with an exceptionally high concentration of phosphate minerals. Phosphate usually occurs as the mineral apatite, Ca5F(PO4)3 in igneous and metamorphic rocks.
FIGURE 2: Relationship of phosphate rock to fertilisers (adapted from Van Kauwenbergh 2010). Around 75% of phosphate rock is used in the production of phosphoric acid (Van Kauwenbergh 2010). In this process the phosphate ore is ground and reacted with sulphuric acid to produce phosphoric acid and gypsum that are separated through filtration.
1502 most important economically being the El Sebaiya (west Mahamid) and El Mahamid deposits near El Sebaiya. Because of the increasing world demand for phosphate, P 2 O 5 content of the ore is gradually falling, and it is becoming economical to mine and beneficiate many lowergrade deposits (ElJalead et al., 1980).
Rock phosphate, or phosphorite, is mined from clay deposits that contain phosphorus and is used to make organic phosphate fertilizers that many gardeners utilize. In the past, rock phosphate was used alone as a fertilizer, but due to a lack in supply, as well as low concentration, most applied ...
This hardrock phosphate was mined in a region extending from Alachua to Citrus counties. The mining of pebble phosphate began in 1888 in central Florida and in the 1960s in Hamilton County. Today phosphate mining occurs primarily in the central Florida area .
Phosphate Rock. Phosphate rock (phosphorite) is a marine sedimentary rock, which contains 18–40% P2O5, as well as some uranium and all its decay products, often .
Phosphate rock is the main source of phosphorous which is essential to all forms of life. It is a key component of DNA, it is used in the control of energy transfer and storage at the cellular level as well as playing an important role in metabolic processes.
Animals get phosphate from their food. The bulk of the phosphate we mine – about 90% – is used to produce phosphate fertilizers. Another 5% is used to make animal feed supplements. The remaining 5% goes into making a variety of products from soft drinks to toothpaste to metal coatings. Phosphate is a limited resource that cannot be replaced.
Beneficiation of Phosphate Ore examines various methods for processing phosphate rock, an important mineral commodity used in the production of phosphoric acid. The majority of phosphoric acid is produced by the wet process, in which phosphate rock is reacted with sulfuric acid to produce phosphoric acid and gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate).
Phosphate Rock Processing Process Description15 The separation of phosphate rock from impurities and nonphosphate materials for use in fertilizer manufacture consists of beneficiation, drying or calcining at some operations, and grinding. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code for phosphate rock processing is 1475. The ...
Use of phosphate rocks in industry and agriculture. Phosphate rock denotes the product obtained from the mining and subsequent metallurgical processing of Pbearing ores. In addition to the main phosphatebearing mineral, PR deposits also contain accessory or gangue minerals and impurities.
In Florida, after the phosphate rock is extracted, the ore is dumped into a pit at the mine site, and highpressure water guns turn it into slurry. The slurry is pumped to a beneficiation plant. At the processing plant, the slurry mixture goes through a twostep process to separate the phosphate rock .
Phosphate rock does not become enriched with uranium/thorium/radium until the extraction process separates and concentrates these metals. When the phosphate rock is treated with sulfuric acid, the uranium and thorium become concentrated in the aqueous phase .
Uranium from Phosphates (Updated August 2015) Rock phosphate deposits contain many million tonnes of uranium, which may be extracted as a byproduct of making fertilisers. Some 20,000 tonnes of uranium has already been obtained from these rock phosphate deposits, but the process became uneconomic in the 1990s.
World Phosphate Rock Reserves and Resources S. Van Kauwenbergh Geologist and Principal Scientist Research and Development Division IFDC Fertilizer Outlook and Technology Conference Hosted by The Fertilizer Institute and the Fertilizer Industry Roundtable November 16 .
Aug 16, 2011· (Data in thousand metric tons unless otherwise noted) Domestic Production and Use: Phosphate rock ore was mined by 6 firms at 12 mines in 4 States and upgraded to an estimated million tons of marketable product valued at billion, mine. Florida and North Carolina accounted for more than 85% of total domestic output; the remainder was produced in Idaho and Utah.