**8.1. Mining of phosphate ore**

The first commercial production of phosphate rock began in England in 1847 and mining was undoubtedly by hand methods. Phosphate mining began in the United States in South Carolina in 1867. Platy phosphate rock beds were mined by hand and later by dredges; sorting was mainly by hand. Phosphate rock deposits were discovered in north and west Africa in the late 1800s. The exploitation of deposits in Algeria and Tunisia began prior to 1900. The production of phosphate rock began at many deposits in the north and west African region in the early to mid-20th century [5],[6],[9]. Currently, there are about 1635 operating world phosphate mines or occurrence worldwide [10].

A wide variety of techniques and many types of equipment are used to mine and process phosphate rock. The methods and the equipment used are very similar to methods and equipment used for coal mining. Phosphate rock is mined by both surface (open-cast, openpit or strip mining) and underground methods. The surface mining can take many forms from manual methods employing picks and shovels to highly mechanized operations. Surface mining is the most utilized method by far for mining phosphate deposits. In high-volume applications, the surface mining methods are typically less costly and are generally the preferred methods when the deposit geometry and other factors are favorable [5],[6],[11].

Open-cast mining has developed into a versatile method with plenty of variations to match the mining depth, the slope of the original topography and the types of equipment available. The two major variations of open-cast mining are [12]:


The open-cast mining cycle consist mainly of [11],[12]:

**Fig. 2.** Mining and beneficiation of sedimentary (a) and igneous (b) phosphate ore [8].

386 Apatites and their Synthetic Analogues - Synthesis, Structure, Properties and Applications

phosphate ore is shown in **Fig. 2** [8].

**8.1. Mining of phosphate ore**

phosphate mines or occurrence worldwide [10].

The example of a generic scheme for mining and beneficiation of sedimentary and igneous

The first commercial production of phosphate rock began in England in 1847 and mining was undoubtedly by hand methods. Phosphate mining began in the United States in South Carolina in 1867. Platy phosphate rock beds were mined by hand and later by dredges; sorting was mainly by hand. Phosphate rock deposits were discovered in north and west Africa in the late 1800s. The exploitation of deposits in Algeria and Tunisia began prior to 1900. The production of phosphate rock began at many deposits in the north and west African region in the early to mid-20th century [5],[6],[9]. Currently, there are about 1635 operating world

A wide variety of techniques and many types of equipment are used to mine and process phosphate rock. The methods and the equipment used are very similar to methods and equipment used for coal mining. Phosphate rock is mined by both surface (open-cast, openpit or strip mining) and underground methods. The surface mining can take many forms from manual methods employing picks and shovels to highly mechanized operations. Surface mining is the most utilized method by far for mining phosphate deposits. In high-volume applications, the surface mining methods are typically less costly and are generally the preferred methods when the deposit geometry and other factors are favorable [5],[6],[11].


Because the profile of the deposit layer is different, the mining process selection is needed to be adapted in order to reach the best economic effect [11]:

The open-cast mining has numerous advantages and disadvantages as well. The main advantages are [12]:


The disadvantages of open-cast mining process are:

