Phosphate Project Development
Developing a phosphate project requires resource evaluation, mine planning, mineral characterization, and bench and pilot plant testing, at various levels of detail throughout the project development cycle.
The objective of a phosphate project is to deliver a product to the market in the safest, most environmentally friendly and profitable way. Too often the steps of mining, beneficiation, phosphoric acid and fertilizer production have not been well-integrated to optimize the total project.
KEMWorks offers an independent and well-integrated approach to your project with a team of experts that understands the project and development steps needed to evaluate projects and obtain financing. We are familiar with the latest advances in mineral processing and fertilizer technology and can develop a testing program that can successfully turn bench and pilot plant work into sound commercial plant designs.
Mining and Beneficiation
KEMWorks offers experience evaluating all aspects of phosphate mining and beneficiation. We have participated in the development of phosphate mines and beneficiation plants located throughout the world. These plant evaluations covered all aspects of mining and beneficiation, with recommendations for improvements, for both existing and proposed facilities.
The configuration of a phosphate mine and beneficiation plant with the related facilities is important economically, because phosphate rock has a relatively low unit value. KEMWorks specializes in integrating geology, mining, and beneficiation with the downstream facilities that process phosphate rock. In that way, the overall economic return may be optimized. In today’s global economy, phosphate rock must be produced to meet quality specifications at a competitive price.
Sulfuric Acid
In an integrated phosphate complex the selection of a sulfur-burning sulfuric acid plant or the import of sulfuric acid will have a major impact on the site energy balance and phosphoric acid route selection. A sulfur-burning sulfuric acid plant can produce all the LP steam need for phosphoric acid concentration and with a turbo-generator it can also produce power for export. A phosphate complex that imports sulfuric acid will have to minimize the need for LP steam.
Phosphoric Acid and Fertilizers
Our team has the knowledge to design pilot plant tests that can be used screen acceptable process routes, to determine expected product quality, and produce the data required for plant sizing and costing.
We have experience in all the major phosphoric acid process routes including, dihydrate (DH), hemihydrate (HH), and hemi-dihydrate (HDH), and with all the major technology licensors. We have knowledge of fertilizer processes and the best way to integrate the phosphoric acid and fertilizer plants.
We have also developed innovative methods to upgrade phosphoric acid when this is a more feasible or economic approach than to upgrade the phosphate rock.
Animal Feeds, Purified Phosphoric Acid, Uranium Recovery
The production of related products can be included in the feasibility study according to market needs. We have knowledge of technologies to produce animal feeds (MCP and DCP) from defluorinated phosphoric acid, purified acid production, and the recovery of uranium from phosphoric acid.
Fluoride Products
During the production of phosphoric acid fluoride gases are evolved that may be recovered as fluorosilicic acid (FSA or H2SiF6).
In conjunction with K-Technologies, Inc. (K-Tech) we have developed a range of technologies to convert FSA to value-added fluoride products, such as anhydrous hydrofluoric acid (AHF) and aluminum fluoride (AlF3). In addition, K-Tech has expertise in the manufacture and marketing of specialty fluoride products, such as fluoride single and double salts, e.g. sodium fluoride and bifluoride, potassium fluoride and bifluoride, potassium fluoroborate, potassium fluotitanate and potassium fluorozirconate.