- China. Mine production: 90 million MT.
- Morocco and Western Sahara. Mine production: 37 million MT.
- United States. Mine production: 24 million MT.
- Russia. Mine production: 13 million MT.
- Jordan. Mine production: 9.2 million MT.
- Saudi Arabia. Mine production: 6.5 million MT.
- Brazil.
- Egypt.
Likewise, who buys phosphate from Morocco? But with just five countries sharing nearly all of the world’s phosphate reserves — and farmers dependent on the resource to keep feeding the world’s growing population — there aren’t many other sellers who can match Morocco’s output. The United States remains the biggest importer of Moroccan phosphate.
Also, which country is rich in phosphate? Most of the world’s phosphate reserves are in Morocco, with the country accounting for approximately 70% of the total reserves or 50 billion tons. It is also the second-largest producer with most of the production coming from Bou Craa mine in Western Sahara. Morocco remains the largest exporter of phosphate.
You asked, why is there so much phosphorus in Morocco? Phosphate is locally abundant in the form of sand-sized detrital grains. These were derived from Cretaceous and Tertiary phosphatic rocks cropping out on the shelf, by erosion during the Pleistocene. The sand-sized phosphatic detritus is concentrated in relict placer-type deposits near parent-rock outcrops.
In this regard, who owns most phosphate in the world? As of 2021, there were reserves of approximately 50 billion metric tons of phosphate rock in Morocco, making it the country with the largest reserves of this commodity in the world.
Where does NZ phosphate come from?
Seventy per cent of all New Zealand’s phosphate comes from Western Sahara, occupied by Morocco since 1975.
What country has 75% of the phosphorus rock?
Morocco holds 75% of the phosphate reserves of the world, and is ranked third in the world in its production.
How much phosphorus is left in the world?
In 2021, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated that economically extractable phosphate rock reserves worldwide are 71 billion tons, while world mining production in 2020 was 223 million tons. Assuming zero growth, the reserves would thus last for 260 years.
What is the price of phosphate?
The price of phosphate rock, which is used in the production of phosphate fertilizers, stood at 76 U.S. dollars per metric ton in 2020.
Where does phosphate come from?
What is phosphate and where does it come from? Phosphorous (P) is present in every living cell, both plant and animal. Most of the world’s phosphate is mined from underground deposits formed by marine sediment.
Is phosphate and phosphorus the same?
Phosphorus is a multi-valent nonmetal chemical element of the VA group. Phosphate is a chemical derivative of the phosphoric acid, containing the phosphate ion (PO3−4). Formally, any salt of a phosphorus oxoacid is a phosphate.
Where is phosphate in Morocco?
Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco, just north along the coast, since 1975. If you include this disputed region, Morocco holds more than 72 percent of all phosphate-rock reserves in the world, according to the most recent United States Geological Survey study.
Will phosphate run out?
Nearly all of the phosphorus that farmers use today—and that we consume in the food we eat—is mined from a few sources of phosphate rock, mainly in the United States, China, and Morocco. By some estimates, those could run out in as little as 50 to 100 years.
Will we run out of phosphate?
At current consumption levels, we will run out of known phosphorus reserves in around 80 years, but consumption will not stay at current levels. Nearly 90% of phosphorus is used in the global food supply chain, most of it in crop fertilizers.
Does Morocco produce phosphate?
With 72% of global reserves, Morocco is the world’s largest phosphates exporter and last year its state-owned phosphates company OCP reported revenue of 56.1 billion dirhams.
What is phosphate in Morocco?
Morocco holds 75% of the world’s reserves of phosphate, which is used in fertilizer. The country’s exports are helping to reduce hunger in sub-Saharan Africa, but high energy prices and climate change put that at risk.
Is Super phosphate harmful?
Toxicity is principally due to fluoride (q.v.), which is present in all naturally occurring phosphate deposits and therefore in all phosphate fertilizers. Calcium pyrophosphate and calcium orthophosphate may also contribute to toxicity. The LD50 of superphosphate in sheep is reported to be 100–300 mg/kg.
How is phosphate rock mined?
Phosphate rock is mined mostly by surface methods using draglines and bucket wheel excavators for large deposits and power shovels or earthmovers for smaller deposits. Underground mines use the room-and-pillar method, similar to coal mining.
What is superphosphate NZ?
Superphosphate is an artificial fertiliser, and is the most important fertiliser used in New Zealand. Farmers often shorten its name to ‘super’.
What is the phosphate rich area between Morocco and Mauritania that Morocco controls?
A week later Madrid signed a secret agreement splitting Western Sahara between Morocco and Mauritania, with the former getting two-thirds of the 266,000 sq km territory, including the phosphate-rich Boucraa. Fighting broke out soon after, resulting in the displacement of thousands.
What would happen if phosphorus disappeared?
Phosphorus is a vital nutrient for plant and algae growth. If there was no phosphorus, our plants would not be able to grow. Without plants, the Earth would not be able to produce oxygen. Without the production of oxygen, humans and other forms of life would cease to survive.
Where are phosphates found?
Phosphate reserves are found in Africa, North America, Kazakhstan, the Middle East and Oceania but the world’s largest deposits are located in Morocco, which is also one of the global leaders in phosphate extraction.
How do I invest in phosphate?
One way investors can invest in phosphate is by buying shares of an exchange-traded fund that includes exposure to phosphate. The VanEck Agribusiness ETF (ARCA:MOO) is one example. However, most market participants choose to invest directly in phosphate-focused companies.
What is phosphate used for?
The phosphate industry manufactures phosphate salts used in the production of fertilizers, animal feed, and many industrial applications.
What is rock phosphate made from?
What is Rock Phosphate? Rock phosphate, or phosphorite, is mined from clay deposits that contain phosphorus and is used to make organic phosphate fertilizers that many gardeners utilize.