Rock Phosphate
Rock Phosphate (phosphorite). rock consisting largely of calcium phosphate andA natural used as a raw material for the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers, phosphoric acid, phosphorus, and animal feeds. Recovery of uranium from the manufacture of phosphoric acid and other phosphate chemicals is expected to become an important source of this metal. Phosphate rock is the primary source of superphosphate, prepared by treatment of the pulverized rock with sulfuric acid (superphosphate having 16-18% Pâ‚‚Os) or by acidifying with phosphoric acid (triple super-phosphate having 40-48% P2O5). Nitric acid is sometimes used, i.e., nitrophosphate. Defluori-nated phosphate rock is the source of phosphate used in animal feeds and feed concentrations. Important deposits are in the US (Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, California, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Idaho), North Africa (Morocco, Libya, Algeria), the USSR, and various islands in the Pacific..