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Chemical fertilizer industry

Phosphates are generally used as water softeners in cleaning agents, but in some areas, phosphate cleaning agents are regulated due to the impact of algal bloom and decline cycles on phosphate discharge in watersheds.

In agriculture, phosphate is one of the three main nutrients for plants and a major component of fertilizers. Phosphate ore powder is extracted from the phosphorus layer of sedimentary rocks. Previously, it could be used without processing after mining, but now unprocessed phosphate is only used for organic farming. Generally, it is chemically processed into superphosphate lime, superphosphate or ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, which have higher concentrations than phosphates and are more soluble in water, so plants can absorb them quickly.

The three numbers on the fertilizer bag indicate the grade. In order, the first number represents the percentage of elemental nitrogen (N), the second number is available phosphoric acid (PO5), and the third number is soluble potassium (K2O).

Phosphate runoff from overfertilized farmland can be a cause of eutrophication, red tide, and subsequent hypoxia. This is like phosphate cleaning agents that can cause hypoxia in fish and other aquatic organisms.  

refractory material

Phosphates are used as binders in refractory materials. Phosphate binder is a refractory binder mainly composed of acidic orthophosphate or condensed phosphate, and has cementitious properties. The binding form of phosphate binders belongs to chemical reaction binding or polymerization binding. The binders made by the reaction of phosphoric acid with alkali metal or alkaline earth metal oxides and their hydroxides are mostly air hardening binders, which can undergo condensation and hardening at room temperature without heating. The binders made by the reaction of phosphoric acid with amphoteric oxides, hydroxides, or acidic oxides are mostly thermosetting binders, which require heating to a certain temperature for reaction before condensation and hardening can occur. Phosphates are widely used as binders for amorphous and unburned refractory materials due to their strong bonding strength in the medium to low temperature range before ceramic bonding occurs.

food industry

Phosphorus is an essential mineral element for the human body, and the main sources of phosphorus intake are natural foods or food phosphate additives. Phosphate is one of the natural components of almost all foods. Due to its ability to improve or impart a range of excellent properties to food, phosphates have been used in food processing for over a hundred years, and their widespread use began after the 1970s. Phosphates are one of the most widely used and widely used categories of food additives. As important food ingredients and functional additives, they are widely used in the processing of meat products, poultry products, seafood, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, baked goods, beverages, potato products, seasonings, convenience foods, and more. The phosphates commonly used in food processing are sodium salts, calcium salts, potassium salts, as well as iron and zinc salts used as nutritional enhancers. There are more than thirty commonly used varieties of food grade phosphates, and sodium phosphate is the main consumption type of phosphate in Chinese food. With the development of food processing technology, the consumption of potassium phosphate is also increasing year by year.