Phosphate Rocks: A Review of Sedimentary and Igneous Occurrences in Morocco

Phosphate rocks are a vital resource for world food supply and security. They are the primary raw material for phosphoric acid and fertilizers used in agriculture, and are increasingly considered to be a potential source of rare earth elements. Phosphate rocks occur either as sedimentary deposits or igneous ores associated with alkaline rocks. In both cases, the genesis of high-grade phosphate rocks results from complex concentration mechanisms involving several (bio)geochemical processes. Some of these ore-forming processes remain poorly understood and subject to scientific debate. Morocco holds the world’s largest deposits of sedimentary phosphate rocks, and also possesses several alkaline complexes with the potential to bear igneous phosphate ores that are still largely underexplored. This paper summarizes the main geological features and driving processes of sedimentary and igneous phosphates, and discusses their global reserve/resource situation. It also provides a comprehensive review of the published data and information on Moroccan sedimentary and igneous phosphates. It reveals significant knowledge gaps and a lack of data, inter alia, regarding the geochemistry of phosphates and basin-scale correlations. Owing to the unique situation of Moroccan phosphates on the global market, they clearly deserve more thorough studies that may, in turn, help to constrain future resources and/or reserves, and answer outstanding questions on the genesis of phosphates.

Economic Potential of Rare Earth Elements in the Philippine Phosphogypsum

The majority of the phosphogypsum produced by a fertilizer plant in the Philippines is just stockpiled, which is considered a liability with no commercial prospects. It is important that we find use of this industrial waste by-product sooner than it becomes an environmental issue. Our study investigated the economic potential of the phosphogypsum by determining its rare earth elements (REE) composition. Phosphogypsum samples were collected from 2 m-depth trenches at 0.5 m intervals in 24 locations in the tailings ponds. ICPMS analysis of the phosphogypsum samples shows that the ponds have a mean Ʃ REE + Y concentrations of 266.15 mg kg-1. The individual REE concentrations are within the world average concentrations in phosphogypsum, although there is relative depletion of Yb, Tb, and Tm. There are huge variations in REE concentrations between the ponds, likely because these are produced from the processing of more than ten types of exported phosphate rocks since the start of operation of the fertilizer plant in 1980s. The major REE abundance is in the order of Y (26 %) > Ce (25 %) > La (16 %) > Nd (15 %). There is an estimated 66 M USD worth of REE oxides in the phosphogypsum ponds with a potential added value of 3.3 to 6.6 M USD for 1 to 2 Mt phosphogypsum produced annually at 50 % recovery rate. This study provides a comprehensive REE concentration and economic analyses of Philippine phosphogypsum produced from different types of imported phosphate rocks for potential REE extraction.

Beneficiation Studies of the Low-Grade Skarn Phosphate from Mactung Tungsten Deposit, Yukon, Canada

A preliminary beneficiation study of low-grade skarn phosphate rocks from Mactung tungsten deposit, along the Yukon and Northwest Territories border in Canada, was carried out through standard Bond Work Index, grinding test and laboratory batch flotation tests. The skarn phosphate sample assayed 12.65% P2O5 (about 30% apatite), 31.71% CaO and 35.46% SiO2. The main gangue minerals included calcite, quartz, calc-silicates, amphibole, feldspar, and pyrrhotite. The sample had a Bond Work Index of 19.04 kWh/t, belonging to a hard ore category. The beneficiation study of the skarn phosphate sample was carried out using “direct–reverse flotation” method. The direct flotation was carried out using sodium carbonate, sodium silicate solution (water glass) and sodium oleate. Sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid were used in the reverse flotation of the carbonate gangue. One phosphorous rougher flotation, one bulk cleaner flotation and one carbonate reverse flotation at ore grind size of 86% passing 53 µm led to a phosphate concentrate assaying 28.68% P2O5, 12.06% SiO2, 0.72% MgO and 46.98% CaO, at a P2O5 recovery of 70.9%.

Phosphorus Biosolubilization by Micro-Organisms

Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential macronutrients for the growth and reproduction of plants, the main source of which is phosphate rocks (PRs). In view of the extraction process of this mineral, major environmental impacts are characterized, with the generation of solid residues that represent great economic value when using appropriate techniques for using minerals in solid residues, representing an extractive process with better efficiency and utilization of the extracted amount. There are many possible techniques applicable to a better yield in the extractive process, for example, in particular biosolubilization, which makes use of different microorganisms in the solubilization of the phosphorus element. In this review article, different microorganisms will be presented in the phosphorus solubilization, as well as the knowledge of the chemical and biological characteristics of the microorganisms in the biosolubization process