Kelly Strong, Vice President, Phosphates, North America for The Mosaic Company, will highlight global market trends, how innovation in the fertilizer industry is critical and where Mosaic is headed in the future.

• Most phosphate fertilizer and raw materials prices remain historically elevated as trade restrictions and limitations keep global supply tight
• US phosphate fertilizer prices seeing persistent premiums as domestic output declines and countervailing duties on key offshore suppliers remain
• Potash (MOP) prices languish despite record demand as the impacts of western sanctions diminish and heavy supply from Russia and Belarus returns
• Lack of DAP/MAP availability seeing consumer preferences turn towards alternative phosphate products
• LFP production adding growth to specialty phosphate market, but regionalising LFP supply chains facing huge challenges from China’s early dominance of the sector
• Specialty potash sector seeing record price premiums as depleted project pipeline contrasts that of the MOP industry

Outlook for the North American Phosphate Market in a Global Context

• Current phosphate market conditions and drivers to watch in 2025
• A deep dive into the North American phosphate supply and demand dynamics
• Exploring the diverse end-uses of phosphates and potential emerging markets

Technologically Advanced – Scalable Mining

• Supply & demand
• Future global supply
• Canadian projects
• Why Canadian small scale production?

• Agricultural commodity demand growth and its impact on phosphates demand
• Growth markets for U.S. phosphate exports with a particular focus on Brazil
• Views on the longevity of global phosphate market tightness 

• The role of phosphates in driving higher yields – historic and present perspectives.
• Maintaining the checking account balance – nutrient removal and soil sample trends for phosphate.
• Grower viewpoints on ROI with phosphate fertilizer.
• Phosphates in future sustainable intensification.
• Opportunities to improve uptake efficiency.

• Status of the Upstream supply chain & why buyer want independent sources of supply.
• Challenges of financing new projects.
• Investor risk considerations.
• Pathway to financing.
• Modelling bankable projects.

Fosfatos del Pacifico's phosphate rock production project exemplifies how novelty and objectivity can coexist and complement one another in resource development. Through innovative sampling and testing methods, Fospac lays a solid foundation for sustainable success in the competitive mining landscape. This relationship not only enhances the project’s viability but also contributes to the broader goals of responsible resource management and industry advancement.

Over the years, the performance of the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) phosphoric acid plant in Aqaba has been declining due to the decreasing quality and increasing humidity of the phosphate ore.The revamping study introduces several innovative solutions to enhance the plant’s performance. Two new concentration trains and a newly designed recirculation system are proposed to improve acid concentration, offering fresh approaches to processing lower-quality ore.

• Strategic insights into investment priorities
• Mining for the future – Government support in development of new sites
• Regulatory framework updates
• Mitigating  inflation and project cost pressures
• Optimising operations for economic efficiency and sustainability
• Balancing long-term investments with demand fluctuations
• Analysing key industry drivers and market dynamics   

• Wear in the mill, classifier, cyclone and ducts
• Grinding options and the importance of a consistent grade from the milling system for the upstream process
• Principals of milling and importance of designing the system correctly for the application
• Looking at how velocity of the airstream can increases wear and the different wear patterns that are seen in the system
• Types or wear protection and how to select the correct protection and location of the protection
• Wear material development

An Overview of the Indian Fertilizer Market: Key Challenges & Opportunities 

• Overview of fertilizer consumption and trends in the Indian market with respect to NPK fertilizers
• Key challenges for India & World agriculture with regards to soil health & strategies  
• Need for collaborations and partnerships to enable food security for the India and the World
• Addressing the NUE challenge together- Introduction of efficient fertilizer products 

• The need for collaboration
• Adoption of new technologies and adaptation of existing ones for avoidance of waste, circularity of materials and digitalisation.
• How collaboration can help foster innovation for the future.
  

The presentation relates to operational problems and their solutions. The problem was highlighted as the limitations of the reverse-flotation circuit approach at Kropz Elandsfontein Phosphate mine. The Crago process was adopted as a promising solution through laboratory and pilot plant trials. Additionally, the split-feed flotation circuit was implemented to enable the recovery of the coarsely liberated apatite particles.

As the world continues to grow in population, so does the demand on fertilizers to reduce the risk of food insecurities. The mining and processing of apatite continues to be the dominant pathway of yielding phosphorus-based fertilizers, which includes multi-staged flotation. The presentation introduces a new surfactant that is meant to enhance the selectivity of saponified collectors. 

 How to determine the best mining method?

Phosphate Rock Supply out of Northern Australia – An Opportunity for Asian Phosphoric Acid and Yellow Phosphorus Producers  

• The Georgina Basin in the Northern Territory of Australia hosts a number of very large and shallow Phosphate Rock Resources that could be developed as a proximate source of supply for Asia
• Verdant Minerals’ Ammaroo Phosphate Rock Project is one of these and the strategic intent is to commence the project as a rock export project with a view of participating in the development of downstream manufacturing, either in Australia or the near region as a second stage of development
• The Ammaroo project will be fully authorised by both the Northern Territory and Federal Governments by end of Q1 2025 to export up to 2 million tonnes per annum of rock concentrate, and from a technical perspective be ready to move rapidly into construction subject to financing and securing offtake
• The Ammaroo project represents a unique opportunity for non-integrated regional manufacturers to be part of a Joint Venture to develop the project enabling ownership in the supply of rock, an opportunity which may not be possible with other traditional suppliers.
  
  

Developing Europe´s Next Phosphate Mine

The largest layered intrusion in Western Europe, the Bjerkreim-Sokndal Layered Intrusion located in Southern Norway has through decades been subject to hundreds of scientific papers. However, only after systematic exploration started in 2019 the economic potential of this multi commodity deposit became evident. Following 86km of drilling and beneficiation test work,  a JORC compliant resource of 4,5 billion tons of apatite, ilmenite and magnetite ore was reported After the resource base was established, substantial mining and beneficiation studies were conducted defining the optimal tradeoffs between apatite, ilmenite and magnetite production. A PFS was concluded in 2024 for a 20 MTPA mine optimized for production of 1,25MT of apatite concentrate with 39% P2O5, with Cd and U levels below 2ppm and Cl close to the detection limit Given the unique quality of the phosphate to be produced combined with Europe´s dependency on phosphate import, Norge Mineral is developing plans for downstream integration in support of the European chemical industry. The focus of this work is the advantages the concentrate presents especially given the strict European environmental legislation.

Phosphates and Rare Earth Elements (REE) as By-products from Iron Ore Mining

LKAB operates the world’s largest underground iron ore mines, with phosphorus and REE in the ores, today not extracted and deposited as part of the mine tailings. LKAB is building a demonstration plant to scale up their unique extraction process, with the goal of moving toward a final investment decision (FID) for full-scale production. The presentation will cover progress to date and explore the challenges and hurdles to overcome as LKAB moves forward with this project.

Operational problems and their solutions: This work is an effort to solve a scaling issue at phosphate beneficiation plants that causes excessive operational downtime. The deposition of calcium phosphate in the tailings transfer lines and thickener following the calcite flotation circuit causes reduced flow, leading to backup in the flotation cells, and necessitating shutdown for cleaning.

The presentation highlights the Esterhazy K3 Automated Hardware Installer (AHI), an internally designed and patented piece of mining equipment that automatically constructs the room belt behind the advancing miner, eliminating the need for operators to work within close proximity of a moving belt.

• Trends in YP market
• NDPP / Kazphosphate brief information
• Kazakhstan’s phosphorite reserves
• Taxes, tariffs and their impact on the international YP supply
• Comparison of key Chinese, Vietnamese and Kazakh YP produces on the cost curve
• YP derivatives’ market and its development

The presentation addresses challenges associated with the beneficiation of tailings and flotation slimes. At the same time, it constitutes a study that indicates the potential for optimising operational issues arising from desliming, focusing on enhancing process performance and incorporating sustainable solutions to improve the industrial circuit as a whole.

Kao presentation includes our experience & chemical solutions (collectors) for phosphate ore beneficiation customized for each industrial process (direct & reverse froth flotation process).And then from mining to fertilizer producers, Kao also presents the coating additives for fertilizer protection against caking tendencies, dust control and moisture uptake prevention to provide free-flow properties during warehousing, transport & final application on the soil. All these possibilities are developed by Kao R&D expertise offering tailored-made solutions.

The presentation focuses on a first time installation in a pilot plant, supporting the transition of K+S mining towards a environmentally friendly mining setup, reduction of energy consumption and no more mega-stockpiles at the surface.

Typical dust control coatings are based of non-renewable petroleum products and requires heat for storage and coating application. The presentation will illustrate the use of biobased coatings that can be stored and applied at ambient temperatures and provide comparable to superior dust control performance. Further these new coatings provide excellent long term dust control.

Scantech, a global leader in PGNAA innovation, recently developed the unique measurement capability for sodium, potassium, chlorine, magnesium, sulphur and other elements in conveyed potash flows in real time. The performance of real time analytical technologies on process feed flows, intermediate flows and products is well proven in many other commodities, including phosphates. Applications on conveyors include parcel diversion to sort materials by quality, blending control, feedback to mining, feed-forward control to processes, ore reconciliation and metal accounting. 

• Fertilizer affordability
• Agricultural landscape
• Demand drivers
• Fertilizer demand implications
  
  

• Animal nutrition market
• Feed phosphates: a growing market
• Macroeconomic factors impacting global food production
• The actors 

Phosphoric acid producers are currently grappling with increased costs and stricter regulations, reflecting deep-rooted industry challenges. The text highlights operational experience by showcasing how producers are dealing with rising prices of high-quality phosphate rock and evolving regulations.

This presentation will introduce the Saskatchewan potash industry and detail strategies towards minimising the generation of fines. Minimising fines generation in potash operations is critical to improve recovery and economic viability. Understanding the impacts and remedies are paramount for identifying valuable capital investments.

Derrick Corporation presents a novel approach to challenge industry standards by using screen to close circuits instead of cyclone, improving recovery and reduce energy usage. Easy to maintain and reduce operational challenges.

• Phosphorus as a critical nutrient in animal nutrition
• Increasing global demand for animal protein
• Sustainability and circular economy models in phosphorus use
• OCP- Animal nutrition business’s role in global food security
• Collaborating for a sustainable future

Based on our experience working within phosphoric acid production, in particular the sulfuric and phosphoric acid units with corrosion-resistant heat exchangers and tanks, it is apparent that the use of fluoropolymer-lined process equipment and storage tanks are underutilized.  Fluoropolymer components offer technical and commercial benefits compared to the current technologies. This presentation offers an overview of fluoropolymer lining and fabrication options and will highlight very specific applications and the operating regime where it can be considered as a technical and/or commercial offer for columns, storage tanks, tower internals, and piping. 

Potash deposits vary widely regarding their composition. Wherever possible and profitable, flotation processes are used to separate the potash-bearing component from the non-potash components. Besides flotation, several other processes, such as leaching, crystallisation, evaporation, are also utiliseable for the processing of potash-bearing materials. Based on recent activities, it will be demonstrated how these processes can be used to beneficiate more complex potash raw materials to the required potash products and by-products.

• The lack of a LFP supply outside China is the final barrier to global uptake.
• Policy and market forces are spurring incumbent Asian LFP CAM producers to accelerate their overseas plans.
• This will precipitate a shift in regional speciality phosphate demand outside China.
• Yet the higher costs and risks are hindering more profound investments.
• We will examine how, where, and when local production of LFP precursor and cathode material can be established.

The LFP: Another Demand Driver on a Precious Commodity 

• A quick overview on supply/demand for phosphate (concentrate)
• The LFP – a quick history lesson
• The LFP’s Future
• High-Purity Phosphoric Acid – the key ingredient for the LFP
• Processing Phosphate Concentrate into Phosphoric Acid
• The Igneous/Arianne Advantage

Phosphate Rock market in Latin America – fertilizers and LFP batteries

• Phosphate fertilizer market in Latin America
• Phosphate rock production and demand in Latin America for industrial uses
• Is it possible to develop an LFP cathode active material (CAM) production cluster in South America? – Bifox business case 
•    
• Mitra Chem: IRA-compliant FEOC-free iron-rich cathode scale-up and innovation
  
  Scaling up iron-rich cathodes that are IRA and FEOC compliant
• Machine learning platform that accelerates lab-to-scale timeline for new battery materials by 10x
• Beyond industry-standard LFP, Mitra Chem has developed an LMFP partnership with Saint-Gobain Ceramics

Resolve the challenges of LFP recycling in the US

• Why do we believe LFP recycling is economic? And why does the public view it as uneconomical
• Where are the gaps between LFP recycling in the US and China 
• What are the key technical challenges
• What innovation and economic solutions have been developed in the US

The presentation highlights using existing solutions such as advanced computational techniques and real-time data analytics in an operating phosphate complex to increase energy efficiency and drive energy costs down.  These solutions were developed using the experience from multiple levels of the organization including operators, engineers, and plant management.

The main objective of the presentation is to predict energy consumption at the level of the phosphate industry in Morocco “Phosboucraa industrial site” and to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing an energy management system according to ISO 50001. An evaluation of the performance results using the RN model for 2022 had shown a significant drop in consumption compared to the reference energy situation provided by the RNA model through the energy management system implemented place.

This paper presents an innovative technology aimed at improving granulation efficiency and granule quality while promoting better environmental practices and economic benefits for Phosphatic and NPK compound fertilizer granulation plants. The formulations developed specifically for Single Super Phosphate (SSP), Triple Super Phosphate (TSP), Monoammonium Phosphate (MAP), MAP-S, and NPKS compound granules offer a revolutionary approach to bulk fertilizer granulation.

The food self-sufficiency program is a strategic agricultural development program because it has a broad impact. By creating a new cost effective and environmentally friendly phosphate fertilizer product by utilising dominant waste as the main raw material, including phosphoric acid tank residue sludge waste and gypsum waste as a by-product of phosphoric acid production. This will result in significant raw material cost savings, as well as a price competitive product in the Indonesian phosphate fertilizer market.

The phosphate and potash industries operate in highly demanding environments, where abrasion, corrosion, and chemical aggression pose significant challenges to equipment and infrastructure. With over 100 years of expertise, REMA TIP TOP is committed to delivering consistent quality and supporting the long-term growth of our customers through innovative solutions as both a manufacturer and full-service provider. Our integrated approach spans the entire lifecycle of mining, material handling, and chemical processing operations.

• Ore quality control based on elemental analysis (P, K, N, Mg, Ca, Si, Al, Fe, etc.)
• Real-time adjustment of flotation reagents dosage for increased recovery of P2O5
• Real-time adjustment of water dosage for hot leaching and crystallisation
• Quality control of the final products

• Lower Moroccan exports continue to support prices of higher-grade phosphate rock – could new capacity additions alter the sector’s price outlook?
• China’s emergence as a major rock importer has provided a key outlet for lower-grade suppliers. Can this continue amid indications of expanding domestic capacity?
• New export-orientated rock suppliers finding homes for product, but can further advancement of greenfield projects alter the supply outlook for the industry?
•  

• Growing pressures to secure phosphate supply chains
• Supply chain vulnerabilities
• Onshoring obstacles
• Potential solutions

Phosphate rocks, renowned for their critical role in agriculture, also represent one of the largest unconventional uranium reserves worldwide. Since 2014, Orano Mining has been at the forefront of innovation in this field, working to industrialise an advance the process, known as DEHCNPB, for uranium recovery from phosphoric acid. This cutting-edge approach is designed to dramatically reduce both operating and capital costs compared to historical practices, offering a sustainable and economically viable solution for the industry.

Phosphogypsum is known as the main by-product during the manufacture process of phosphoric acid. It is reported that the phosphogypsum generated annually ranges from 130 to 180 million tons worldwide, but only an extremely low proportion of it (4.3% to 4.6%) is recycled is a byproduct of fertilizer industries. Over 85% of phosphogypsum is dumped in the vicinity of phosphate factories, requiring large disposal areas. Rapid Building Systems approach to Phosphogypsum Valorisation is through a Rapidflow Fluid-Bed Calciner which converts gypsum dihydrate to hemihydrate and therefore creates a high-quality Beta-plaster.

The presentation focuses on the successful development and launch of Rhizosorb® - a novel MAP fertilizer featuring advanced slow-release technology. With several successful production runs, primarily distributed in the Corn Belt, this innovative product has demonstrated the potential to reduce phosphorus input by 50%, while maintaining yields. Rhizosorb contributes to many sustainability benefits including significant reduction in phosphorus run-off and carbon emissions.

Roller screen technology is widely used in the iron ore pelletizing industry. Metal7 has developed an advanced roller screen technology designed for phosphate-based fertilizers. This innovation maximizes the screening efficiency, eliminating sticking related problems, improving productivity, and reducing labor costs.