The phosphoric acid industry is a mature sector that has consolidated around very strict requirements regarding the mineral used as raw material. Reserve estimates indicate that, although there is no risk of global phosphate scarcity, there is a clear trend toward the depletion of conventional or commercial resources, which could jeopardize the sector by weakening the technological foundations on which it is based.

This project aims to help mitigate this risk by developing new phosphoric acid production processes based on innovative purification techniques, enabling the incorporation into the value chain of the fertilizer sector and technical phosphoric acid applications of mineral raw materials that are currently considered unsuitable and therefore excluded from the market.

To this end, the project will work with two types of nonconventional phosphates:

• Lowgrade calcium phosphates with high cadmium content, and
• Aluminum and iron phosphates.

A successful industrial implementation of the proposed technologies will allow:

• An increase in commercial phosphate reserves by incorporating phosphates with high cadmium levels as well as aluminum and iron phosphates.
• The provision of technical solutions to the European fertilizer industry, enabling manufacturers to adapt to the new regulatory framework on heavy metal content in fertilizers.