Phosphate Ore Beneficiation Processes Amid Rising Phosphorus Demand

In recent years, the proliferation of new energy vehicles has driven demand for lithium iron phosphate batteries. Coupled with increased consumption of agricultural phosphate fertilisers and chemical phosphoric acid, societal demand for phosphorus resources continues to climb. Against this backdrop, beneficiation techniques for medium-to-low grade phosphate ores have become a focal point within the industry. Current mainstream processes each possess distinct characteristics:

The scrubbing and desliming process is an environmentally friendly physical beneficiation method. Its principle is straightforward and easy to operate, requiring no chemicals and producing no pollution. It is suitable for weathered ores with high clay content and relatively high grades. It relies on mechanical and hydraulic forces to remove surface impurities from minerals to enhance grade, but is only compatible with specific loose ores.

The roasting digestion process, a thermochemical method, targets hard, low-grade calcareous phosphorites. It decomposes carbonate minerals through roasting, followed by hydration reactions to remove hydroxides, thereby separating phosphate minerals from impurities. However, its high energy consumption and challenging subsequent processing have hindered widespread adoption.

Chemical leaching employs reagent immersion for selective impurity removal, reducing magnesium oxide content in phosphate ore. However, its high cost limits industrial adoption.

Heavy media separation utilises high-density media to classify particles by specific gravity, offering high precision and broad particle size adaptability. However, it only removes gangue and cannot directly produce concentrate.

Optical sorting is a physical pre-concentration process that identifies minerals via radiation or light reflectivity, pre-removing impurities to reduce grinding losses. It is only suitable for specific ores and primarily targets waste rock.

The most prevalent process currently employed by enterprises is flotation, which enriches phosphorus through various methods: reverse flotation suppresses phosphorus flotation and captures impurities under acidic conditions. Its high selectivity and straightforward workflow make it a common technique for upgrading ore grades in mining operations.

Each process has its specific application scenarios. Selection must be based on ore characteristics and cost requirements to achieve efficient utilisation of phosphorus resources.