acid and calcium carbonate. Both phosphoric acid and rock phosphate come by sea, whereas hydrochloric acid currently arrives by truck. The calcium carbonate comes from the supplier’s site adjacent to the plant. The acids are stored in tanks at the plant; the rock phosphate is stored in a warehouse in Dunkirk port. The main mode of shipping Aliphos®
Dical+ to customers within
Western Europe will remain bulk, either by truck or intermodal (truck/ train). Aliphos external warehouses are supplied by bulk shipping vessels. Export to countries outside Europe requires 25kg or big bags using 20ft containers. A relatively new development is the use of bulk containers whereby 24 tonnes of product can be shipped, reducing packaging and freight costs, while customers save on handling. Currently Dical+ is delivered in Western Europe, while new
opportunities outside Western Europe are being explored to export the remainder of the plant capacity.
Above: Microscopic view of crystalline dihydrate dicalcium phosphate: Aliphos®
Dical+
the classical phosphate production processes can be used. At the same time the process creates less waste. Applying this technology, the phosphate in rock phosphate is
gently dissolved in dilute acid to obtain a dilute solution of phosphoric acid and monocalcium phosphate (MCP). The liquid solution is further purified to reduce the level of heavy metals to far below EU requirements. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3
) is then added to precipitate
out of this solution a very pure, stoichiometric precise defined, crystalline dihydrate dicalcium phosphate. In the final stage, this precipitate is conditioned and dried. This Ecophos process has several advantages over the classic
technology. The classic process uses sulphuric acid to dissolve rock phosphate but, in addition to phosphorus, most of the other chemical elements present in the rock are also dissolved and transferred to the resulting phosphoric acid. With the Ecophos process, these other impurities primarily remain in the rock residue. Although suitable for fertilizer grade phosphates, classically produced phosphoric acid must still be further purified to reduce levels of fluorine and heavy metals to meet EU standards; other dissolved impurities, such as iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al), however remain. During DCP production these are transformed into non-soluble and non-digestible iron and aluminum phosphates. With the Ecophos process, the level of impurities in the liquid phase is very low, because the metals primarily remain undissolved in the solid rock residue. Level of impurities in Aliphos® Dical+ in comparison with DCP produced via the classical wet phosphoric acid process are therefore much lower.
Logistical solutions With a capacity of 220,000 tonnes of Dical+, it comes as no surprise that there are several logistics issues, concerning both the inbound and outbound movement of materials, to be tackled. The main raw materials used are phosphoric acid, rock phosphates, hydrochloric
Implementing quality All Aliphos sites are ISO 9001 and GMP+ certified and we act accordingly. All incoming raw materials are quality checked, including the mineral content, the content of undesirable elements, potential contamination, etc. During the process, process parameters are checked, and product quality is monitored. Finally, end products are controlled in view of their mineral content, their content of undesirable element, etc. For this purpose, Aliphos has installed laboratories in its production plants, together with a central laboratory from which all analyses are controlled. But Aliphos also cooperates with external laboratories for less standardized methods. All feed phosphates leaving the factories receive a unique batch number to fulfill traceability requirements. And it doesn’t stop there: for external storage, contracts are strict and all warehouses need to be certified under either GMP+/HACCP or a similar system in countries where GMP is not a “standard” procedure for feed. The system certifies that the contracting company has the proper procedures in place
Figure: Thermogravimetry or TG: The mass (weight loss) is measured in function of the temperature. Black line normal anhydrous DCP blue line Aliphos®
Dical+ (dihydrate DCP) and red
line reagent-grade Dihydrate DCP. The blue and red lines clearly show the loss in weight because of evaporation of the crystalline water (dihydrate DCP) while this does not occur with the black line (anhydrous DCP).
FEED COMPOUNDER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 PAGE 51
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