Process for reducing phosphate ore

摘要

A process for reducing phosphate ore includes beneficiating phosphate ore to reduce alumina impurities while allowing fluoride impurities to remain in the beneficiated ore, mixing beneficiated ore with solid carbonaceous material to form a porous bed of agglomerated feed and heating the porous bed in a rotary-type kiln to produce elemental phosphorus and carbon monoxide. The elemental phosphorus may be burned within the kiln to provide heat to the porous bed and an inert gas may be purged through the porous bed to drive the reaction between the phosphate ore and the solid carbonaceous material towards complete reduction of the phosphate ore by removal of carbon monoxide from the porous bed.