Can phosphoric acid produced from medium- and low-grade phosphate ores be refined to food grade?
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Due to the recent downturn in the fertilizer industry, the company is considering launching a wet-process phosphoric acid refining project, with the goal of obtaining food-grade product, similar to what Wengfu in Guizhou does. However, the phosphate ores used in our facility come from various sources and have low grades; can the wet-process phosphoric acid produced in this way meet food-grade standards? Are there any mature technologies available both domestically and internationally?
It should be possible. I wonder if you use mineral resources from that area? This technology already exists in China, but I’m not sure if you are interested in investing in this area.
It depends on what product you are producing; if it’s ammonium phosphate or sodium phosphate salts, then it’s definitely possible. The yield varies depending on the raw materials used
For the project of purifying phosphoric acid from medium- and low-grade phosphate ores using wet methods, several domestic companies have already put it into operation! Companies such as Guizhou Hongfu, Yuntianhua, Chengxing... It is recommended to get in touch with the design institutes mentioned above!
The information upstairs might be incorrect; at present, Yuntianhua and Chengxing have not produced phosphoric acid in the food-grade version. As for whether Weng Fu in Guizhou has achieved it, it is unknown. Israel is currently advanced in this technology.
Who says Wengfu doesn’t meet food-grade standards? Its products are exported in large quantities. It played an important role in the company’s 10-billion-yuan in sales in 2008
By 2005, the pilot project for wet phosphoric acid purification carried out in collaboration between the two parties was completed; they acquired independent control over several key technologies related to this purification process. By building on these achievements and incorporating advanced foreign technologies, the world’s largest industrial facility for wet phosphoric acid purification was established in 2006 – the Guizhou Hongfu Wet Phosphoric Acid Plant – which was able to produce phosphoric acid products of various grades successfully
Yes. But in reality it’s not very mature yet. They are mostly small devices, and they shut down and start up quite often. It’s also difficult to reduce costs. It’s already good enough if something at an industrial level can be achieved. Maybe my information isn’t complete... it’s just an impression.
Technically, it is possible, but the yield is low; cost-effectiveness is the key issue
Wengfu (Group) Company produces food-grade phosphoric acid using wet-process phosphoric acid purification technology; the quality of this product meets all the Australian standards. The first batch of 4,000 tons of food-grade phosphoric acid was successfully exported to Australia recently. Wengfu’s annual production facility for 100,000 tons of wet-process phosphoric acid involves an investment of over 500 million yuan. It utilizes the world’s most advanced equipment and processes for phosphoric acid production, which not only results in low energy consumption and low pollution but also **improves the efficiency of phosphorus resource utilization**.
I heard that such facilities do exist; Sinochem Fuling has a pilot plant with a capacity of 5,000 tons, which was developed in collaboration with Sichuan University. Currently, work is underway on designing and constructing a plant with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons.
Huazhong Normal University also possesses the technology for purifying wet phosphoric acid to produce food-grade phosphoric acid.
Since the core technology of PPA is kept strictly confidential, and Wengfu Group has a relatively high ore grade, further analysis is needed considering the circumstances of your company.
Affected by the global economic crisis, China’s phosphate fertilizer industry suffered severe impacts, whereas PPA performed well. Many exported fertilizers were affected by high tariffs, but PPA was not impacted. Precision is the direction for development. I spoke with relevant experts today; since PPA is essentially purified phosphoric acid, changes in the quality of phosphoric acid due to mineral variations require corresponding improvements in key technologies. It is necessary to conduct a specific analysis based on the type of mixed minerals used in your company in order to find effective solutions.