Rock Phosphate is soil that contains a significant percentage of P2O5. The phosphate that is supplied to the market usually contains at least 25% of this valuable substance. Phosphate rock is used to produce phosphate fertilizers such as DAP, MAP, TSP, SSP, NP, NPK, PK, and phosphoric acid as well as for the production of phosphorus element, which is needed to produce several materials.
The extensive use of phosphate in various industries has caused customers many concerns about it. Questions like; From where can phosphate rock be obtained? What countries produce it? Is it better to buy from a trading company or a manufacturing company? What should we pay attention to when sending a purchase request? These are all important questions that need to be answered before buying phosphate rock.
Therefore, in this article, we will try to provide a brief description to the reader so that he can choose and buy the rock he needs.
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According to global statistics, China, Morocco, the United States, Russia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam, Peru, Palestine, and Syria are currently the largest producers of phosphate rock in the world. Due to the very high domestic consumption of phosphate, China, the United States, and Brazil not only do not export their products but also import significant quantities from other producers. Morocco is the largest exporter of phosphate in the world, and the price of Moroccan phosphate in terms of FOB-Casablanca port is the phosphate pricing reference in the world.
Before the recent crisis that began in 2011, Syria was one of the largest producers and exporters of phosphate in the region and the world, but due to the civil war and its continuation for 11 years, its production has decreased, and in recent years, phosphate producers in the country have been trying to restore production to its former levels and even higher.
In terms of phosphate quality, the quality of Morocco’s phosphate is good, followed by the Jordanian and Syrian. Due to the presence of some undesirable elements, the Egyptian product is of lower quality than the others.
According to historical records, it is known that the East Asian market is dominated by phosphate produced in Jordan and Egypt. Phosphate produced in Syria dominates Eastern European markets. And Moroccan phosphate meets the needs of Western European and American markets. Geography plays a key role in this division; so the countries in these regions select and establish their factories and technologies on this basis. For example, the facilities of Indian factories are compatible with Jordanian and Egyptian phosphate.
China, India, the United States, and Brazil are the largest consumers of phosphate in the world, so the competition to enter the market of these countries is so fierce and intense that the mentioned countries have set strict standards for imported phosphate, but these strict standards do not prevent companies to do not compete with each other to enter these large markets.
The main Phosphate producers of each country are well-known and it is very affordable to buy phosphate from them, but because most of these companies are large state-owned companies, they are difficult to interact with or do not have the necessary flexibility in terms of payment. Hence, trading companies can be the missing link in this business.
Trading companies can provide better trading conditions for buyers due to their high flexibility. These companies, by purchasing the quantities required by a market for a limited period and supplying them to the market with flexible contractual terms can facilitate the business.
Unlike other rock phosphate Suppliers, KMKA Co. is a very flexible company that has shown great flexibility both in terms of contracts and payment terms. Therefore, trading with this company will be very cost-effective for your business, because you can work with a variety of payment methods while buying from a phosphate producer. However, the company does not have any obstacles to establishing business relations with trading companies, because it recognizes them as the catalyst of this business, and already has established very good business relations with some well-known trading companies.
As a consumer that needs phosphate as raw material, or as a trading company that knows the market that needs phosphate and can provide the phosphate it needs, there are a few very important points regarding the quality that should pay attention to.
First, the phosphate you buy is eventually used and processed in the factory facilities, so you must make sure that the elements in the soil are compatible with the process and facilities of that factory. That is, the elements in the soil do not cause clogs for the machines, serious damage to equipment, or corrosion.
According to studies, about 50% of phosphate is made of calcium oxide. Since the calcium element has many uses, separating and consuming this substance from phosphate will help to optimize your production line. Otherwise, you should try to keep the calcium oxide content in the purchased phosphate rock lower, thus wasting less money.
The amount of iron in the soil is another important factor to look out for. In addition to changing the phosphate’s color to red, iron can cause many process problems for factory equipment.
Silica (silicon dioxide) in the soil can make clogs in the equipment. The lower the amount of silica in the soil, the less process contamination.
Paying attention to the percentage of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium as well as hazardous elements such as uranium should also be on your agenda. The presence of large amounts of these elements in the soil, in addition to the risks to health, can be problematic in terms of compliance with environmental standards, especially for the entry of soil into the destination country.
Magnesium oxide is very effective in encapsulating and stabilizing heavy elements such as lead, so its presence is considered positive.
Excess Fluorine and its compounds can disrupt the soil ecosystem. Insects in the soil, especially earthworms, are most damaged by swallowing Fluorine. Fluorine can also negatively affect the growth and germination of plants in soil ecosystems.
Chlorine is also a nutrient that can help the plant grow, but too much of it can accumulate in the leaf tissue of the plant, resulting in dry, brown, and burnt leaves. In technical terms, this is called chlorine toxicity. As a result, the leaf tissue may appear white instead of burnt. Either the leaves may be smaller than usual or they turn yellow and fall off quickly. In general, chlorine toxicity can occur as a result of air pollution, in the form of chlorine gas or excess chloride in the soil.
Second – the percentage of phosphate (P2O5) in the soil. Choosing the right phosphate grade that is required, depends on the final product as well as the plant process. If your plant process cannot enrich the ratio of phosphate in the soil more than a certain amount, then you must be careful in choosing the phosphate grade. Higher-grade is very suitable for such a situation. Currently, the minimum standard in world markets is 25%, but higher-quality phosphate rock has more than 30% of P2O5. For the Indian market, the minimum P2O5 content of the soil should usually be 30%.
The third is moisture. Because phosphate is normally one of the underground mines, the amount of moisture stored in it is high. Of course, this is dependent very much on the geographical area. In areas with high rainfall and open-pit mining, moisture can be high. Therefore, paying attention to the amount of moisture in the products is very important.
This is important for 2 reasons. First, the higher the moisture, the more water you pay for and the more the freight rate to pay to carry water. Second, you need to use more energy to dry it. Energy costs will increase production costs and ultimately reduce your profit margin. Of course, as you know, the price of dried soil is higher and it can even be said that the difference between the price of dried phosphate and wet soil is more than the cost of drying it.
Although the mines owned by KMKA Co are all open-pit mines, the amount of rainfall in those areas is very low, and therefore the moisture that enters the ground is less than in other areas. On the other hand, When you purchase Phosphate rock from KMKA Co. you will be given a datasheet that identifies the properties of the phosphate purchased. If the properties of the sold phosphate are outside the range mentioned in the datasheet, the company will reimburse you for the cost of the difference between the grades and humidity in comparison to the datasheet to protect your rights.
Fourth is soil granulation. The next thing you need to pay close attention to as a phosphate buyer is soil granulation. Soil granulation shows the volume and dimensions of phosphate grains. Very fine grains can cause environmental pollution as well as breaches in factory equipment and eventually clogging of them. Too much granulation can cause the soil to clump, in which case you will need to crash it again, so choosing the right granulation and paying attention to it can significantly reduce your costs. Granulation of +40 microns is a good choice for phosphate or phosphate powder.
At first, glance, buying phosphate may seem like a very simple task. You go to one of the famous sellers, see the list of their products, choose one of the offered products, and then wait for the delivery of the goods by agreeing on how to deliver and pay for the goods. While the reality is very different, especially in the case of products such as phosphate, which are directly related to human health due to their widespread use. Governments set different and stricter standards for phosphate imports to protect the health of their citizens.
For example, in 2021, the European Union set new strict standards to control the amount of cadmium in the soil, so that currently the phosphate soil produced by some countries in the region where the amount of this element is higher than the standard, is not allowed to enter the Union.
Briefly, to supply the required phosphate, you must first choose the seller company according to the suitable trading conditions for you. Then pay special attention to the quality of the phosphate being traded, and compare the elements in it with the standards of the destination country as well as the equipment’s specifications of the factory to be consistent. Only then can you be sure that you have made a successful purchase?
