Light analysis on an error area and development trends in phosph-chemicals

Phosphor is a nonmental resource that is difficult to regenerate and one of the most important elements for the development of organism. It does not only have important application value in industry, but also attaches great importance to agriculture, medicine, and biology. There are about 300 kinds of inorganic chemicals and about 10,000 kinds of organic-phosphide using phosphor as raw material. It is widely applied in the production of flame retardants, antioxidants, surfactants, water treatment agents, agrochemicals, medical intermediates and medicines etc. For the past ten years, great changes occurred on the pattern of the world’s phosph-chemical industry. Through the adjustment of product structures and layout, the industry goes in the direction of internationalization, large-scale, refinement and customization. Phosph-chemical products are in close relation to people’s lives. The author has been engaged in phosph-chemical industry for more than one decade. Through the work during the period, the author found some important problem that is also one error area for the current development of phosph-chemical industry. The error area is that phosphate with high quality is mainly used in washing industry and the phosphate with low quality in feed industry. As the toxicant in the phosphate with low quality will remain in the body of animals through feeding and marry again to human being, which will influence human being’s health. Therefore, using the phosphate with high quality to produce feeding stuff will be the direction of phosph-chemical industry in the future.

1 Current situation of Chinese phosph-chemical industry and Guangxi’s advantage of geographic location

1.1 Current situation

In the history of Chinese phosph-chemical industry, phosphate fertilizer started first. Phosph-chemical industry developed at a fast rate till the end of 1980s and walked into a period with stable and grand development after 1990s. As the improvement of living level, phosph-chemical industry has become an indispensable part in people’s daily life. In contrast to the phosphate fertilizer which was mainly used in feeding industry, phosphoric acid and phosphate as the main products of phosph-chemical industry are often used in food, feeding and washing industry. Now the high-end phosph-chemical products are widely used in some advanced scientific and technological areas as well as some new industries. From nothing to something, from single mode to muti-mode, the annual output increases from several tons to several million tons. Chinese phosph-chemical industry becomes more and more important in national economy through decades’ development. The continual increase of output and export amount has made China a big manufacturing country in the world.

1.2 Guangxi’s advantage of geographic location

Guangxi is a province lacking in phosphor resource. Although several areas in Guangxi distribute some phosphorus mines, but people once think that the development of Guangxi phosph-chemical industry has no advantage due to the low quality of the resource and has little value of exploitation. Therefore, the development of Guangxi phosph-chemical industry develops very slowly. However, Guangxi is close to Yunnan and Guizhou which are the main producing areas of phosphorus mines. Under the national preferential policies for southwest corridor, Guangxi becomes the main corridor for the export of phosph-chemical products in southwest. At present, QinzhouPort and FangchengPort as the two main ports of Guangxi have became the main ports for the export of China’s phosph-chemical products. Recently, the annual export volume from Guangxi is about 200,000 tons, occupying 60% of Chinese phosph-chemical export. It is estimated that the export volume of Guangxi will reach to 400,000 tons after three years. It covers 80% of the nation’s export volume. In the future, Guangxi will become the main base of phospho-chemical industry and place of the world’s phosphate by using it logistic advantages

2 An error area of phosphate industry’s development and its solution

Althought our nation’s phosph-chemical industry has achieved great and delightful development in the past 20 years, it would not be suitable to the the national policy of sustainable development by scanning the current situation through scientific development view since we still adapt traditional process and extensive economic growth mode with large amount of investment, consumption, emission and low profit.

Phosphate existes as the assiatant element, additives in clean agents. It is the substance that could rinse itself and has the cleaning effect. At present, the common use of phosphate in washing industry is sodium tripolyphosphate, (STPP for short). At present, the annual output of STPP in the world is about 5 million tons. It takes a large proportion in production and life. The process is to neutralize sodium carbonate with phosphoric acid from furnace process. Products produced by this process contain less sulphate root, less heavy metal and is high in concentration. These are the advantages.

Calcium phosphate salts have been used as feeding additives for more than a century. The development of our national feeding phosphate salts is late and the industrial production started at the beginning of 1960s. Through about 40 years’ development, especially the fast development in recent years, the output occupies the third place in the world inferior to the U.S. and Russia. The improvement of science and technology as well as people’s lives drive the development of stock raising. The improvement of intensivism and specialization on stock production also drive the feeding industry. At present, the feeding additives have become an indispensable element in the production of feeding stuff and become an emerging industry. Calcium phosphate salt is the main product of phosphate used as feeding additives. What is more, the main product of calcium phosphate salts is calcium hydrogen phosphate. The producing process of calcium hydrogen phosphate is to put the inorganic acid and rock phosphate together. The products could be got after the reaction and extraction. By considering the restriction of production process when setting down the national standards, the requirement for heavy metal like fluoride, lead and arsenic was not very strict. The quality of feeding stuff would not be good if they are produced by calcium hydrogen phosphate with low quality. The taste of flesh products raised by feeding stuff is not so good and the nutrition value is not high. Some people even worry that the bad ingredients would be absorbed by human being indirectly. If we adopt the phosphate with high quality to produce feeding stuff, the bad ingredients within the feeding stuff would be reduced and there would be no above problem existing in the flesh products.

Comparing with the manufacturing techniques of phosphate in two different industries, the author thinks that there is an error area in the orientation of quality. Influenced by traditional concepts and methods, calcium hydrogen phosphate is treated as agricultural and sideline products, feeding stuff for animals. Therefore, the criterion for calcium phosphate salt feed grade is not so high. The limitation for the content of toxic ingredient is not very strict. The raw material for Chinese calcium phosphate salt feed grade is wet process phosphoric acid which is relatively cheap. However, we have ignored one problem: when calcium phosphate salt is used as feeding additives to produce feeding stuff, the toxic substance it contains would remain in the body of animals and get into people’s bodies through meat. This would be harmful for people’s health. The harm is conductive through the intestines and stomach.

For the phosphate used in washing industry, the country’s standard and jumping-off point of raw material are relatively high. What is more, it has a serious restriction on the content of toxic substance. The toxic substance containing in the detergent is ultimately left in the clothes or the materials that have contact with bodies, it is to transfer through skins and dos harm to human bodies.

From the view of “people oriented, people foremost”, calcium phosphate feed grade should adopt phosphoric acid with high quality as raw material. Through long-time manufacturing, the production of calcium phosphate salts has its national standard and has taken a great shape. However, the toxic substances will eventually be brought to bodies and affect people’s health. Therefore, we should gradually raise the standard to manufacture with new technics to produce calcium phosphate salts with high quality.

For the cost of manufacturing, the cost only increases 30% by using high degree of purified phosphoric acid to produce calcium phosphate salts. In addition, calcium phosphate salts only occupies 2% of feeding cost. Therefore, the cost of applying new technics to produce feeding stuff increases by less than 1%. If this method is carried out, it would be a trend for the phosph-chemical manufacture to produce high-purified feeding additives.

When I participated in the meeting to set up phosphoric acid criterion in 2001, I once discussed this problem with the attendants. However, the attendants are mostly manufacturers and their manufacturing processes use wet-process phosphoric acid as raw materials. If the raw materials change to phosphoric acid with high quality, they need to invest on the improvement of technics and equipment. Therefore, this problem is laid over since the better solution is not found. As the development of times, science and people’s living standards, we should base on the tenet that science is oriented by men, serves for them and benefits them from the view of academics. At this view, we should probe into the feasibility of calcium phosphate salts with high quality and washing additives phosphate with high criterion from low quality of raw materials. We need to extend green production process and advocate the using efficiency of resources in order to harmonize economic development together with human beings, environment and resource, to achieve a sound circle in the economic industrial structure, to speed up the production, to protect the environment as well as to lead people to healthy and wealthy live.

3 Relative opinions on the trend of phosphoric acid

3.1 The transfer of phosph-chemical plate

The main producing areas of phosphor mines are Yunnan and Guizhou etc. While the main international market of phosph-chemicals is in countries of Southeast Asia which are lacking in phosphor resources. Guangxi is located in an advantageous position to export phosph-chemical products. At present, the producing areas of phosph-chemical centralize in East China. With the development of the market, phosph-chemical plate would transfer to Guangxi. This will be the trend for the development of phosph-chemicals.

3.2 Feeding additives with high quality

Along with the improvement of people’ lives, there will be more requirement for all kinds of materials. Using high-quality phosphate to produce high-quality feeding stuff is another important direction for the development of phosph-chemical.

3.3 Low cost washing agents

The phosphate use in washing industry would adopt the form of co-production to reduce costs so as to join in the market competition with low cost, but high standard products. In this way, we could improve the economic benefit and make full use of the resources.

3.4 Electronic grade phosphoric acid with high purity.

In recent years, the pace of the world’s phosph-chemical is fast. There are great changes in the market, techniques and product structures, Changing from originally low-added to high-added value products, from primary to fine phosph-chemical industries. Phosph-chemical in our country is still composed by primary and basic products. Although phosphoric acid output of our country takes No.1 in the world, fine phosph-chemical products takes only 4% of total output. Many industries, especially high-tech industries, have to import fine phosph-chemical products from abroad. And foreign manufacturers import primary products from China at low prices. Such situation causes barrier to the advancing pace of Chinese phosph-chemical industries. It is an extensive increase mode without making full use of resources scientifically, and far from the requirement of scientific development. Thus, it will be the development trend to research and develop fine phosph-chemical products, deep process phosph-chemical products with high and new techniques, and to attach the products with new functions such as high purity, specialty, super-fine. With the fast development in electronics industries especially IT and electric apparatus, requirement of using super-pure chemicals in producing high performance and reliable integrate circuit is very strict. Requirement for high-purity phosphoric acid increases by duplications, and this market is large. This electronic grade phosphoric acid is mainly monopolized by developed countries such as Japan and South Korea. It is the requirement and an inevitable trend for the development of phosph-chemicals to exploit electronic grade phosphoric acid, and to turn the situation of high consumption of energy and low technical content, which are in the current dominant position. The market should be dominant high-add value and high technical content electronic phosphoric products.

3.5 High concentration modified phosphoric acid.

At present, the circulating phosphoric acid in the market is mostly liquid at 85% concentration. Since it is liquid, it is dangerous to transport. Therefore, there is a strict requirement for the packing and increase packing and transporting cost. The price for special drums of phosphoric acid is RMB500~700/ton which occupies 15% of the price. If the current method is changed, the purified technics is improved to produce 95% minimum high concentration phosphoric acid (including solid phosphoric acid). If the acid is packed and transported in solid, not only 15% min packing cost could be reduced, but also the operation would be more flexible. The production could change the concentration according to customers’ requirement. It is simpler in technics, more convenient in transportation, more considerable profit, and more estimated value. Two months ago, our company sold 2000 tons 95% phosphoric acid to the US. This is a very good confirmation. Therefore, I think it is necessary to promote the high concentration phosphoric acid to replace 85%. The change of micro-structure of original substance could improve the efficiency and reduce the cost. In addition, it could improve the competitive and bring new economic benefits so as to meet the changing market requirements.

4. My investigation and what I had learned in phosph-chemical industry.

 4.1 Heat energy reclamation of phosphoric acid from furnace process

In the traditional process of phosphoric acid in furnace process, the reclamation of vapor is blank. Through experiment and studies, I explored a new process for the production of phosphoric acid. This process is to reclaim the heat energy, reduce energy consumption and to improve the efficiency. This is a breakthrough in the proces. This process had been put into practice. Up to now, we have established 20 production lines and put them into production, and have attained quite great benefits.

4.2 The appliance of ammonium phosphate in metallurgical industry.

high lead and antimony mines once use blowing wind to get rid of lead in Guangxi, but the effect is not ideal. Then, through experiments, we find that if we add ammonium phosphate in smelting process, it could be generated ammonium phosphate after reacting with the lead in antimony mines. The shape of lead phosphate is like wood shaving. It could be get rid of through tools. This method could effectively remove lead in antimony mines and the products could meet national standard for No. 2 antimony at present, Guangxi’s antimony enterprises all adopt this process. This improvement in the phosph-chemical industry owes to this author.

4.3 The appliance of food grade phosphoric acid for refine sugar.

Before 1996, our national sugar factories used technical grade phosphoric acid in sugar-refining process. The sugar contains toxic elements lead and arsenic, existing in technical grade phosphoric acid. These toxic elements largely remain in finished sugar, gooney or alcohol and they will harm people’s health. The author researched the appliance of food grade phosphoric acid in refining sugar between 1995 and 1996 and finally achieved success. At present, this result has been widely used. Most of our country’s sugar factories use food grade phosphoric acid in production.

4.4 Participation in setting down national standard of phosphoric acid.

After several years’ operation of combination of theories and practice, Qinzhou Mingxin Phosph-chemicals produced and exported a large amount of food grade phosphoric acid in 2001 listing top in China. Therefore, the setting committee of phosphoric acid's national standard and Chinese inorganic salts association recommended our company to attend the conference in which to set down national standard for phosphoric acid in Dalian in 2002. The author proposed that toxic substances in food grade phosphoric acid should be strictly controlled and the nontoxic substances’ standard shoud be released into suitable extend. Under this principle, heavy metal (lead) is reduced from 10 ppm to 5 ppm and arsenic from 1 ppm to 0.5 ppm. The checking for nontoxic SO4 and iron are cancelled.

4.5 The application of food grade phosphoric acid in palm oil.

When we were visiting Malaysia, we found that the countries of Southeast Asia such as Malaysia and Indonesia produce large amount of palm oil and consume large amount of food grade phosphoric acid during refining process. Our company has studied this opportunity and established factories in Malaysia with Malaysian enterprises. In addition, we plan to expand the range of business, to establish more branch factories, to longer the road of phosph-chemicals, to participate in the competition of international market, to improve requirement for us so as to promote innovation of the company and quicken the forwarding steps.

4.6 The research on electronic grade phosphoric acid.

Electronic grade phosphoric acid is mainly used in the cleaning of electronic industry. Motivated by the fast development of electronic industry, the market prospect is good. In order to follow the trend of the world’s phosph-chemicals and develop the geographical advantages, our company research on electronic phosphoric acid together with GuangxiUniversity. We, together with Dr. Li Xuanhai from GuangxiUniversity, are studying and exploring new products. We have discovered that using Gore membrane in filtration could remove most heave metals ions and fluorinion. This project is under further research.

 In conclusion, we should see clearly the gap of phosph-chemical between national and international industries. We should grasp the trend of the world’s phosph-chemicals and adjust current product structure. We should bear the obligation and responsibility to promote the use of high-quality phosphate as feeding additives and explore green food. We should pay attention to people’s health and stick to the principle of people of people oriente.