Phosphate ore is mined and beneficiated into rock phosphate. Beneficiation of phosphate ore is a process which includes washing, flotation and calcining. Froth flotation is used to concentrate the mined ore to rock phosphate.
Is phosphate a ore?
As a mineral resource, “phosphate rock” is defined as unprocessed ore and processed concentrates that contain some form of apatite, a group of calcium phosphate minerals that is the primary source for phosphorus in phosphate fertilizers, which are vital to agriculture.
Is phosphate a mineral?
phosphate mineral, any of a group of naturally occurring inorganic salts of phosphoric acid, H3(PO4). More than 200 species of phosphate minerals are recognized, and structurally they all have isolated (PO4) tetrahedral units.
What is the natural ores of phosphorus?
The major components of phosphate ores are the apatite phosphate minerals, the most common of which are fluorapatite (in endogenous apatite deposits) and carbonate apatite and its modifications, francolite and kurskite (in exogenous phosphorite deposits); hydroxylapatite sometimes occurs in significant amounts.
What group is phosphorus in?
Group 15
Fact box
| Group | 15 | Melting point |
|---|---|---|
| Period | 3 | Boiling point |
| Block | p | Density (g cm−3) |
| Atomic number | 15 | Relative atomic mass |
| State at 20°C | Solid | Key isotopes |
Is phosphate found in DNA or RNA?
When it is attached to a molecule containing carbon, it is called a phosphate group. It is found in the genetic material DNA and RNA, and is also in molecules such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that provide energy to cells. Phosphates can form phospholipids, which make up the cell membrane.
Is phosphate and phosphorus the same?
Phosphorus is a mineral that combines with other substances to form organic and inorganic phosphate compounds. The terms phosphorus and phosphate are often used interchangeably when talking about testing, but it is the amount of inorganic phosphate in the blood that is measured with a serum phosphorus/phosphate test.
Is phosphate a rock?
Phosphorite, phosphate rock or rock phosphate is a non-detrital sedimentary rock that contains high amounts of phosphate minerals. The phosphate content of phosphorite (or grade of phosphate rock) varies greatly, from 4% to 20% phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5).Limestones and mudstones are common phosphate-bearing rocks.
What is a phosphate in biology?
noun, plural: phosphates. A salt of phosphoric acid. Supplement. As a biological molecule, it is composed of phosphorus and oxygen and plays a major role in biological processes of many organisms, e.g. as chemical component of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), nucleotides (ATP), plasma membrane (phospholipids), etc.
Is phosphorus an atom or ion?
Its cosmic abundance is about one atom per 100 atoms of silicon, the standard. Its high chemical reactivity assures that it does not occur in the free state (except in a few meteorites). Phosphorus always occurs as the phosphate ion. The principal combined forms in nature are the phosphate salts.
What type of rock is monazite?
Monazite is a rare phosphate mineral with a chemical composition of (Ce,La,Nd,Th)(PO4,SiO4). It usually occurs in small isolated grains, as an accessory mineral in igneous and metamorphic rocks such as granite, pegmatite, schist, and gneiss.
Which rock is phosphate?
phosphorite
What is Rock Phosphate? Also known as phosphorite, rock phosphate is a sedimentary rock that contains high amounts of phosphorus. The rock is mined and also contains clay and limestone.
What minerals are in phosphorus?
Phosphorus is obtained mainly from the minerals apatite and fluorapatite. It is mined mostly in the USA (Florida), Kazakhstan, China, Morocco, and Tunisia. Other phosphorus-bearing minerals include phosphophyllite, turquoise and vivianite.
Is phosphorus a good conductor of electricity?
No, Phosphorus is not a good conductor of heat and electricity. Graphite is a good conductor of heat and electricity.
Where is phosphorus found on Earth?
Phosphorus can be found on earth in water, soil and sediments. Unlike the compounds of other matter cycles phosphorus cannot be found in air in the gaseous state. This is because phosphorus is usually liquid at normal temperatures and pressures. It is mainly cycling through water, soil and sediments.
How many ions does phosphorus have?
Phosphorus has 5 valence electrons. It can lose 5 electrons to form a +5 ion and it can gain 3 electrons to form a -3 ion.
How did phosphorus get to Earth?
Phosphorus, an element that’s key in forming DNA and fueling life on Earth, may have first arrived on the planet via comets from newborn stars. Since the element is extremely rare in the universe, its presence on Earth has been a long-standing mystery.
Where does phosphorus come from in soil?
Weathering, Precipitation, and Dissolution
Soil contains minerals that are rich in phosphorus. These minerals are classified into primary and secondary minerals. Minerals break down over time (a process referred to as weathering) and release phosphorus in the soil solution for plant uptake.
Does phosphorus make DNA?
DNA, which stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, resembles a long, spiraling ladder. It consists of just a few kinds of atoms: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Combinations of these atoms form the sugar-phosphate backbone of the DNA — the sides of the ladder, in other words.
What is phosphate DNA?
A phosphate backbone is the portion of the DNA double helix that provides structural support to the molecule. DNA consists of two strands that wind around each other like a twisted ladder. Each strand has a backbone made of alternating sugar (deoxyribose) and phosphate groups.
Is phosphorus the same as phosphate for plants?
Plants gather phosphorus from the soil in the form of phosphate. Phosphate is simply a phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms. We use tons of phosphate fertilizer on our crops to produce the yields we depend on.
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