Phosphate mining

Phosphate mining extracts phosphate rock, a sedimentary or igneous material rich in phosphorus-bearing minerals. The rock is processed chiefly to supply phosphorus for agricultural fertilizers.

Phosphate rock: A mined rock containing phosphorus-bearing minerals, especially apatite, used chiefly to make phosphate fertilizers. It is the ore extracted and beneficiated in phosphate mining.
Fertilizer: A substance added to soil or plants to supply nutrients and support plant growth. Phosphate rock is one source of the phosphorus in manufactured fertilizers.
Phosphogypsum: A gypsum-rich by-product formed when phosphate rock is processed into phosphoric acid. Large quantities accumulate beside facilities that process mined phosphate.
Sedimentary phosphate deposits: Phosphate-rich sedimentary formations created by geological processes in ancient marine environments. They supply most of the world's mined phosphate rock.
Phosphorus scarcity: The risk that limited, unevenly distributed phosphorus resources may constrain future access to this essential nutrient. Reliance on mined reserves raises questions about affordable long-term supply.
Open-pit mining: A surface-mining method that removes overburden to extract deposits from a large, open excavation. Many major phosphate deposits lie near the surface and are mined this way.
Triple superphosphate: A concentrated phosphate fertilizer made by treating phosphate rock with phosphoric acid. It exemplifies a fertilizer product that depends directly on mined phosphate.
Tailings: Waste materials left after valuable minerals are separated from mined ore. Phosphate beneficiation can leave fine-grained tailings requiring containment.
Igneous apatite deposits: Phosphate deposits formed in igneous rocks, commonly associated with alkaline intrusions or carbonatites. They provide a geologically distinct source of mined phosphate.
Phosphorus recycling: The recovery and reuse of phosphorus from waste streams such as sewage, manure, and food waste. Recycling could reduce the amount of new phosphate rock that must be mined.

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