Choosing the right phosphoric acid process

Abstract

In this review article, Hatch's Jayden Ladebruk, Lyndsay Tran, Amelia Parrenin and Edward Rose outline the wide range of phosphoric acid production technologies and discuss how industry challenges are influencing the choice of phosphoric acid process.

Phosphoric acid is a critical raw material consumed on a large scale globally for phosphate fertilizer production. Over time, the industry has examined numerous alternative ways of commercially producing phosphoric acid in response to multiple challenges - such as evolving environmental regulations, declining phosphate ore grades, and tailings management.

Hatch has investigated the wide range of available technologies for phosphoric acid production to; firstly, understand the benefits of each process; and, secondly, help clients adapt to a constantly changing market and operation conditions.

This article summarises these investigations and in particular:

- Provides an overview of the main commercial process options for phosphoric acid production.

- Highlights the various strengths and weaknesses of each production route.