Editing Phosphorite (section)

===Production===
Deposits which contain phosphate in quantity and concentration which are economic to [[Mining|mine]] as [[ore]] for their phosphate content are not particularly common. The two main sources for phosphate are [[guano]], formed from [[bird]] or [[bat]] droppings, and rocks containing concentrations of the calcium phosphate mineral, [[apatite]].

{{As of|2006}}, the US is the world's leading producer and exporter of phosphate fertilizers, accounting for about 37% of world P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> exports.<ref>[http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/phosphate_rock/myb1-2006-phosp.pdf US Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook 2006 Rock Phosphate]</ref> {{As of|2018|December}}, the world's total economic demonstrated resource of rock phosphate is 70 [[Tonne|gigatonne]]s,<ref>{{cite report |url= https://d28rz98at9flks.cloudfront.net/132457/132457_00_0.pdf |title= AIMR Report 2019 |page= 10}}</ref> which occurs principally as [[sedimentary]] marine phosphorites.<ref name="AIMR Report 2013"/>

{{As of|2012}}, [[China]], the [[United States]] and [[Morocco]] are the world's largest miners of phosphate rock, with a production of 77 [[Tonne|megatonne]]s, 29.4 Mt and 26.8 Mt (including 2.5 Mt in the [[Sahara]] of Morocco) respectively in 2012 while global production reached 195 Mt.<ref>[http://www.fertilizer.org IFA 2012 statistics]</ref> It is thought that in India there are almost 260 million tons of rock phosphate.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Cordell |first1=Dana |author-link=Dana Cordell |last2=White |first2=Stuart |date=2013-01-31 |title=Sustainable Phosphorus Measures: Strategies and Technologies for Achieving Phosphorus Security |journal=Agronomy |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=86–116 |doi=10.3390/agronomy3010086 |doi-access=free|hdl=10453/24038 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Other countries with significant production include [[Brazil]], [[Russia]], [[Jordan]] and [[Tunisia]]. Historically, large amounts of phosphates were obtained from deposits on small islands such as [[Christmas Island]] and [[Nauru]], but these sources are now largely depleted.

Phosphate ore is mined and beneficiated into rock phosphate. [[Beneficiation]] of phosphate ore is a process which includes washing, flotation and calcining.<ref name="fao"/> [[Froth flotation]] is used to concentrate the mined ore to rock phosphate. The mined ore is crushed and washed, creating a slurry, this ore slurry is then treated with [[fatty acids]] to cause calcium phosphate to become [[hydrophobic]].

This rock phosphate is then either solubilized to produce wet-process [[phosphoric acid]], or smelted to produce elemental [[phosphorus]]. Phosphoric acid is reacted with phosphate rock to produce the fertilizer triple [[superphosphate]] or with [[anhydrous ammonia]] to produce the [[ammonium phosphate]] fertilizers.  Elemental phosphorus is the base for furnace-grade phosphoric acid, phosphorus pentasulfide, [[phosphorus pentoxide]], and [[phosphorus trichloride]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}